ITBP posts along LAC increased from 180 to 195, says director general A.D. Singh
Subhashis Mittra
The number of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been increased from 180 to 195 as part of plans to better operational capability and border management.
The one-lakh personnel strong ITBP force is tasked with guarding the 3,488-kilometre India-China LAC which has posts at punishing heights ranging from 14,000 to 18,000 feet above sea level. According to director general (DG) ITBP, A.D. Singh, the government recently sanctioned the raising of seven ITBP battalions. Out of these, four have already been raised in Arunachal Pradesh, he said. The DG said creating the new border posts was an “ambitious decision”. For better border management, more forward bases have been created and the total number of border posts increased from 180 to 195 over a period of time, Singh said.
Raised on 24 October 1962 in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression, the 62nd Raising Day of the force was recently celebrated at Seemadwar in Dehradun, where Union home minister Amit Shah was the chief guest. In his address, the DG gave an overall review of the force and said the ITBP has deployed 500 women personnel at its border posts. The ITBP has also made about 6,000 appointments in mission mode, he said.
As part of a policy for better operational capability, the ITBP has decided to post its young personnel at high-altitude posts and those in the higher age group or the “low medical category” at lower stations. The DG said a special medical review was conducted and as a result low medical category cases have come down to less than five per cent.
Home minister Shah launched a ‘logistics drone’ project at the event, during which a 110-kilogram unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lifted about 15-20 kilograms of essential medicines and rations for ITBP jawans deployed in remote border posts as well as the locals. The drone can lift loads up to a height of 14,000 feet and fly for 40 minutes at a speed ranging from 28-43 kilometres per hour. A video clip played at the event also showed the drone picking up supplies from the ITBP’s Nilong border post to take to the high-altitude Jadhung post in Uttarakhand.
As the border villages are the first line of defence for the country, it is important to prioritise the development of these villages and provide them with the best facilities for effective border security, Shah stressed. The home minister highlighted that if the border villages are unpopulated and empty, maintaining the security of the borders will become difficult. In such a scenario, being the ‘first villages’ of the country, they should also be made ‘first’ in terms of facilities. Shah said the Centre has prioritised the task of creating the best facilities in border villages by introducing the concept of vibrant villages so that their population is not just sustained but also increased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced the concept of vibrant villages to provide the best facilities to people living in the border villages.
“Around 168 villages will be connected with roads in a year and electricity and essential infrastructure will also be made available,” Shah said, adding, “Before 2014, Rs.4,000 crore was spent annually on the India-China border, but by 2022-23, it has risen to Rs.12,340 crore.” Barracks, roads and helipads are being built for the soldiers.
He said the country salutes the ITBP Himveers for the dedication and courage with which they perform their duties in sub-zero temperatures and inaccessible terrains.
“With the ITBP securing our boundaries, no one can even think of grabbing even an inch of our land. The entire nation salutes you for your courage and dedication,” he said. He asked the ITBP personnel to focus on their duties and assured them that the Centre will take care of their families. A quota for CAPF personnel in flights and trains as availed by the defence personnel has also been fixed by the Narendra Modi government.
A budgetary allocation of Rs.4,800 crore has been made to create adequate infrastructural, health and educational facilities in 662 border villages of 19 districts, Shah said. ITBP could also be made the nodal agency for carrying out developmental work in the border villages, he said. At the event, he launched five new projects.
Shah virtually inaugurated a Self-Sustainable Energy Building (SSEB) for ITBP personnel deployed at a height of 17,000 feet. “The SSEB will keep our jawans safe at a temperature of 18-19 degrees Celsius at altitudes where it drops up to minus 45 degrees celsius, while a drone service to take medicine and eatable supplies to high altitude BOPs will not just be immensely useful for our personnel but also for people living in the border village. It is a great new beginning,” Shah said. He also expressed happiness over the fact that Him Veeranganas are now working shoulder to shoulder with the Himveers.