Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Shillong, June 07 2009:
The Border Security Force (BSF) will upgrade its assets and man-power through a more focusing spending of the the Rs 8000 crore allotted by the Union government, according to BSF Director General M L Kumawat.
The BSF DG who was in Shillong today announced a series of measures that will ensure that the Indo- Bangladesh sector in the region is well protected.
To enhance border management in a comprehensive manner in the next four years, Kumawat stated that the force will create another three frontier headquarters, nine deputy Inspector General Headquarters, raise 500 Border Outpost (BOPs) and an additional 29 battalions.
Divulging about the BSF emphasis on upgrading border management in the North East sector of the Indo- Bangladesh border, Kumawat said, "The attention given to the North East region is because the Indo- Pakistan sector is now well fenced".
The BSF's new focus on the porous edges of the eastern sector of the international borders is evident when 383 of the proposed Border Outposts are listed for the region and the tentative deployment of more new battalions in the region as well as using of other force multipliers.
Presently, the number of BOPs in the North East stands at 802 and it will shoot up to 1135 in the next four years.
Assam with 91 BOPs will get another six to man the 263 kms international boundary and Meghalaya with a 443 Kms get another 17 BOPs along its 443 kms of bordering areas with Bangladesh.
Elaborating on the scheduled deployment of more man-power and assets along the North East sector of the Indo- Bangladesh border, the BSF chief said that the entire scheduled exercise is to ensure that border management by the force is reduced to an average of 3.5 kms per company.
Going by statistics, in Assam, the creation of six more companies will reduce a single BSF company management to 2.88 Kms.
In Meghalaya the BSF's single company will then approximately guard on 3.5 kms a reduction from the present average of 4.10 kms.