Indian Interests

[malushahi]

[url="http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100405/jsp/frontpage/story_12303495.jsp"]ITBP chief admits connectivity glitch[/url]

Shillong, April 4: Yaks and snow bikes are the only modes of transport available to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police who are finding it difficult to man the Sino-Indian border in the Northeast for lack of communication facilities.



Nine battalions of ITBP are manning the 1,148-km stretch of Sino-Indian border from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh.



“The area is difficult to work in as there is not much road connectivity. At least 75 yaks are being used to help the men ease the problem related to road connectivity,” director-general of ITBP, Ranjit Kumar Bhatia, told reporters after his maiden visit to Shillong today.



Two snow bikes are running on a trial basis and more will be deployed, he said.



Bhatia said yaks could carry a maximum of 40kg on their back on high altitude. It will be of great help to the ITBP men who are otherwise forced to carry the burden on their shoulders.



Besides yaks, other beasts of burden like ponies and horses are also being used, as the policemen have to walk long distances to reach from one post to another or strategic locations.



The director-general who visited the ITBP units at Itanagar, Yupia, Kimmin in Arunachal Pradesh along with Union home minister P. Chidambaram recently said the inaccessible terrain of the Sino-Indian border in the Northeast is a cause for concern.



“There are areas in Tawang where the men have to use all their four limbs to move, as free movement is impossible in the difficult terrain,” he said.



According to the official, though there are plans to construct border roads in Arunachal Pradesh, the completion of the roads will take several years.



“Moreover, these roads will not be connected right up to the posts which are manned by the ITBP men,” he said.



Adverse weather is another problem the men deployed at the border have to face.



There is high incidence of malaria in the thick jungle and forest areas, Bhatia said, adding that maximum deployment of the personnel in one area is two years.



Despite these difficulties, the men are committed to ensure security on the border, he said.



Bhatia refused to comment on the preparedness of the ITBP men in case of any aggression from China.



He, however, said many weapons were upgraded and they would be of great help to the border personnel.



Despite the difficulties caused by the lack of road network, the modern weapons they possess have come in handy to check any aggression by the Chinese, he said without elaborating the details.



Earlier the men on the border were using Insas rifles, but now AK 47 rifles are used, he said.



“From the normal sten guns, we are using the latest carbines,” he said, adding that mortars are already kept ready on the border.



“Basically, we are using more of infantry weapons.”