Amit Shah reviews operational preparedness of SSB

New Delhi, Jan 01: Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the headquarters of border guarding force SSB here and reviewed its operational preparedness along the Nepal and Bhutan frontiers, officials said.

Shah, who was accompanied by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officials of his ministry, was briefed about the "organisational structure, deployment, operational achievements and various facets as well as concerns" of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

This is his first visit to the RK Puram-based headquarters of the border-guarding force after becoming home minister.

He was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour upon arrival, the officials said.

The minister has recently visited the headquarters of other Central Armed Police Forces like the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for operational review.

The officials said the home minister was briefed and given a presentation by senior SSB officers, led by Director General (DG) Kumar Rajesh Chandra, about the forces' deployment along the 1,751-km India-Nepal and 699-km India-Bhutan borders.

Shah stressed that the SSB should ensure sanctity of the two open borders and while criminal elements are checked effectively, genuine travellers of the three countries are provided easy access across the fronts, they said.

He directed the force to use technology tools to guard these borders along the eastern flank of the country, the officials said.

The minister was also informed about the recent procurement of SUV vehicles, arms and ammunition of the SSB, they said.

The SSB was raised in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression in 1962 and it is primarily tasked to guard India's borders with Nepal and Bhutan apart from rendering other duties in the internal security domain including anti-Naxal operations.