HP urges Centre to raise another IRB battalion

New Delhi, Sep 5 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today urged the Centre to raise another Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) to strengthen its security and prevent the entry of terrorists in the state from other neighbouring states.

Addressing the Chief Minister's Conference on Law and Order and Internal Security here, he said besides raising another battalion, the Centre should also bear its operation expenditure to guard the borders of the state.

Urging the Centre not to withdraw the ITBP Battalion deployed on the Chamba border close to Jammu and Kashmir, he said it helped in checking the entry of terrorists into the state from the neighbouring state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Strict vigil was being maintained by the state police and one ITBP battalion was stationed at over 35 check points along the 225 km long Chamba border with Jammu and Kashmir to prevent infiltration of terrorists into the state from the neighbouring state, he said.

He said the security forces were being provided with the best communication system to check infiltration, besides requisitioning the services of 476 special police officers in 159 Village Defence committees to assist the forces in anti-terrorist operations.

The Central Government should also reimburse the expenditure incurred by the state on combating terrorist related activities, he said, adding this should be done under the Security Related Expenditure provisions.

Mr Singh thanked the Centre for increasing the remuneration of the Special Police Officers to Rs 3,000 per month.

He also urged the Centre to provide liberal grant to the state to initiate ''alternate development options'' in the drug affected areas to divert the peoples' attention from illegal to developmental activities.

The state Forensic Laboratory would soon be equipped with DNA and National Drugs Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) test facilities that would further be extended to zonal and district level in a phased manner to improve the law and order situation in the State, he said.

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