The Border Safety Pressure is all set to get the federal government’s closing nod to lift 16 extra battalions, comprising round 17,000 troopers, and arrange two ahead headquarters for its western and jap instructions guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh frontiers, respectively, official sources have stated.
The plan has already acquired an in-principle approval.
As soon as sanctioned, it will likely be a shot within the arm for the drive that has heightened vigil within the east following final yr’s fall of the Sheikh Hasina authorities in Bangladesh and within the wake of a renewed problem on the Pakistan entrance after the April 22 Pahalgam bloodbath.
The BSF is quickly anticipated to get the ultimate sanction for elevating 16 new battalions which might be raised over the subsequent few years, sources within the safety institution advised PTI.
Some closing approvals together with sanction from the Union Finance Ministry are pending and are anticipated to be granted quickly, they stated.
The paramilitary drive has 193 battalions as of now to protect the 2 fronts. A battalion of the border drive consists of over 1,000 troopers. Therefore, the general energy of the 16 new battalions might be round 17,000 personnel.
These new battalions will assist the BSF in its main job of guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders as per a blueprint being ready by the border drive, they stated.
The sources stated two area command bases for the drive have additionally been authorized by the Union House Ministry.
One sector will come up in Jammu to strengthen safety alongside the India-Pakistan Worldwide Border in Jammu and Punjab and the second might be primarily based in Mizoram for higher surveillance of the Bangladesh border, they stated.
The present sectors, headed by deputy inspector common (DIG) rank officers, in its Jammu frontier are positioned at Rajouri, Sunderbani, Jammu and Indreshwar Nagar. Below its Mizoram and Cachar frontier headquartered in Assam, the sectors are positioned at Silchar, Aizawl and one in Manipur.
Sources stated the BSF will provoke recruitment drives to rent women and men for these new battalions, adopted by their coaching. The drive is anticipated to lift these models over a interval of 5 to 6 years, they added.
In line with officers, the two.70 lakh personnel robust drive had despatched a proposal to the House Ministry a number of years in the past to lift 20-21 new battalions owing to “the fast-changing safety dynamics, profile of the terrain and associated points” in its main job space of guarding the 2 borders aside from fight duties within the anti-Maoist operations theatre.
The federal government lastly agreed to lift 16 new battalions, they stated.
The BSF guards a complete of 6,726 km of the 2 borders which incorporates 2,290 km of the India-Pakistan Worldwide Border and 339 km alongside the Line of Management (LoC) aside from 4,097 km of the entrance with Bangladesh.
A complete of round 1,047 km of those two borders is unfenced owing to these strains passing via riverine areas and harsh jungle terrain. The drive has 1,760 border posts alongside these two frontiers.
Printed – Might 05, 2025 06:42 am IST
