BSF to raise 20 battalions more

Agartala, Mar 31 (UNI) The Border Security Force has planned to raise 20 more battalions for assignment other than guarding the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Talking to reporters here last night on his maiden visit to Tripura after taking over as the Director General of BSF, Mr Ashish Kumar Mitra said he had already sent the proposal for raising 20 more battalions to the Government for its approval.

''Once raised, the 20 battalions can be used for counter-insurgency operations, election duties and other law and order assignment. This will help us to keep the present 157 battalions exlusively for effectively guarding the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh,'' Mr Mitra said.

He said several measures, including night vision facilities and lighting border fencing areas, were being taken to efffectively check infiltration from Bangladesh and curb other border crimes in the eastern sector.

Mr Mitra said the force had already taken up lighting of broder fencing in North Bengal and gradually it would be extended to other areas in the Eastern sector.

He admitted that the people, who had been living on ther side of the fencing but within the Indian territory, had become more vulnerbale and said efforts were on to further strengthen vigilance for their safety and security.

''We have to guard the border, the fencing and the people, who are living on the other side of the fencing but within our territory. We are taking certain steps,'' he said but did not elaborate.

Mr Mitra also admitted that infiltration from Bangladesh was the major problem and said knowledge of local language would help the force to curb infiltration and other border crimes. ''We have decided to make bengali a compulsory language for the force to effectively deal with the problems of eastern border, including infiltration,'' he added.

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