Srinagar, April 30 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Khundru ammunition depot of Indian Army in Islamabad district has made life of people living in its vicinity miserable.

Several people died and property worth crores was damaged in a fire in the depot last year. The explosion temporarily left nearly 20,000 people of Khundru, Puhlu and Somran villages homeless and left hundreds of hectares unfit for cultivation.

Hundreds of explosive shells still lie scattered in the fields. Despite Indian Army’s claims that they have cleared fields of the explosives, unexploded shells and debris embedded deep into the fields tell a different story.

At least two persons died and several others were wounded when they stumbled upon the explosives. Hand of a schoolboy of Puhlu village was amputated recently when a live shell exploded injuring him seriously. Before that, another boy lost both his legs while he was working in the field.

Much of the agricultural and horticultural land, which is the primary source of income for the villagers, is uncultivable. People fear to venture into the fields for fear of unexploded shells.

The economy of the villages received a jolt, as people are unable to cultivate their crops and grow fruits. Pointing towards the uncultivated fields with shells lying all over, Ghulam Muhammad Butt, a villager of Puhlu says, “We were unable to cultivate grass and mustard and now the chances of cultivating rice and maize also look bleak.”