Gingal (Uri), May 19 -- The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) offices and quarters made Gingal village in Uri a target of Pakistan shelling, say locals. The village close to the Line of Control (LoC) that hosts the biggest quarters and offices of the NHPC in Kashmir was targeted by heavy shelling and dozens of houses were damaged, with 10 almost razed to ground. May villagers had close shaves and say they "saw death up close". According to the locals, NHPC infrastructure was damaged in the shelling as well. Gingal village is surrounded by mountains on two sides, a highway leading to Uri, the Kaman Post, the last point on LoC, and the gushing waters of Jehlum river. The picturesque location and secure geography were why the NHPC set up its offices and quarters in the village with a population of around 3,000 to 4,000. Soon after the recent shelling, a majority of the villagers left everything behind and took refuge in Baramulla and adjoining villages. As peace returns to the region, people are coming back to the village and resuming their everyday life. "In 30 years, our village never saw such a night. Shells landed everywhere and it is a miracle that there were no casualties here," says Feroz Ahmad, who returned to village four days after ceasefire was announced. "I think it is due to offices and quarters of NHPC that our village was targeted. Everyone was scared as this has never happened in our village," he adds. J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah recently visited the village. He met the affected families and assured them of help and support. He inspected NHPC's Uri 1 hydel project, which was targeted in the recent shelling, and interacted with NHPC officials and assessed the damage caused to infrastructure. "After the shelling, everyone is scared. Never has our village been hit by shells. This time, shells were raining on our houses. Such is the worry that many people of the village are still staying in Baramulla," says Saifudin, another local. The 480MW Uri 1 project is one of the biggest power projects in Kashmir. The project was constructed by Swedish company in 1990s and is now managed by the NHPC. Uri MLA Sajjad Shafi, who visited the village, said it saw the heaviest shelling in the area. "It is fortunate that only properties were damaged, and lives were saved. After the first day of shelling, almost all of the village was empty. Now, the villagers are back. The priority is construction of individual bunkers in the village and other parts of Uri," he added....