NEW DELHI, Oct 27:
Aiming to bolster its presence along the Sino-India border, the ITBP will create over 50 new posts and deploy about 8,000 fresh troops along this sensitive frontier even as it disapproved today of becoming “warmongers” in the wake of several incursions taking place at this border.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Krishna Chaudhary, during the annual press conference on the eve of the forces’ 54th Raising Day, said while he does not deny that incidents of transgression have taken place due to difference of perception of the border between ITBP-Army and the Chinese PLA, his agenda for the deployment of his force at this border was to guard it and not to wage war.
“We must not become warmongers. The objective is peace. The objective is not to fight a war but to guard (this border). All our neighbours are our friends and we want to enhance friendship with them. The perception that we are going to war (due to recent standoffs between the two sides) is not correct. There is no call for a major concern,” the ITBP chief told reporters here.
He said making “provocative statements” is not something that they want to do and India wants to have friendly relations with all its neighbours.
While refusing to share the number of border transgressions that took place in the last year, Chaudhary revealed that the force was building up its strengths by creating more border posts and inducting smart weather-proof facilities in these areas prone to snow blizzards and blinding storms.
“We have established six new border posts in Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh this year. In eight posts in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh we have augmented facilities and troops strength during the same period,” he said.
Chaudhary said the force has also got a defence approval for setting up of a total of 52 new border posts in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and ITBP was “on the verge” of getting the final government sanction for the creation of these fortified locations.
The force will deploy eight battalions (about 8,000 personnel) to man these new posts.
“We have also requested the Government to sanction us 10 new battalions so that we can have more units for rest and recuperation as most of our border guarding troops serve in extremely hard areas and icy conditions,” the DG said.
The ITBP boss said with the snow receding in upper reaches, the force will create 18 new posts at the Sino-India border with the facility of central heating and freeze-proof water supply.
“We want that our troops can render normal life in these hard areas when it comes to having food, toilet and bathing requirements,” he said.
While delving on questions about border face-offs, the DG said “most” of these issues have got “resolved” through ground-level talks in the past.
“This is a unique border. I can say there is no dispute in major areas but difference of perception of the border is the reason for dispute in a small area,” the DG said.
He added the force will soon get the services of two brand new BSF Mi-17 V5 helicopters to serve its high altitude border posts even as the force is at an advanced stage to ink a deal for wet-leasing of three choppers for similar tasks from agencies like Pawan Hans and others.
Meanwhile in a first, border guarding force ITBP has decided to deploy women personnel in combat duties at its high-altitude posts along the Indo-China border.
The force is training a special contingent of 500 ‘mahila’ constables for the task and these personnel are expected to take position at the border by early next year.
“This is for the first time that we are deploying women personnel in full combat role right at the border. The aim is that women should work shoulder-to-shoulder with men in this force. We are preparing infrastructure for them at these locations and they will take charge soon,” ITBP Director General Krishna Chaudhary told reporters here on the eve of the forces’ 54th Raising Day.
In an another proverbial breaking of the glass ceiling, the about 60,000 personnel strong force will also induct women officers for the first time.
Chaudhary said the force has already sent a request to induct women officers in the entry-rank of Assistant Commandants (ACs) to the UPSC.
“We are looking forward to have more and more women to come into the force. We want them in officer ranks so that they can lead our battalions. The women personnel who are in the force are doing good work and this is a positive indicator,” he said.
ITBP is the only force till now which did not have women coming into the force in class ‘A’ officer rank like CRPF, BSF, CISF and SSB.
The DG said they have envisaged a “modest” role for these women personnel to be posted on the border and it has been decided that about one-third of the strength of a border post, where men and women troops are posted, will be kept female.
Officials said the first deployment of this maiden women squad will be made in the Ladakh sector of Jammu and Kashmir where ITBP troops man posts at a height of over 8,000 feet and more.
“We have not set any scale of work for these women. They are as good as men and I think they are trained to render any task,” he said.
The force has a total of 1,661 women personnel in its various ranks and branches of work with the maximum number of 1,033 being in the constabulary ranks.
The women constables of ITBP were till now deployed for rendering law and order duties in troubled areas and in few instances they have been posted at the Nathu La trade pass for facilitating traders and frisking women members.
In a landmark move, the Government recently had approved induction of women fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force (IAF), the first time when women would be in combat role in the country’s armed forces. (PTI)
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