The Indo-Tibetan Border Police have received a green signal from the central government for setting up 47 additional border outposts and 12 'staging camps' to set up strict vigil along the Chinese border.
The nod from the Ministry of Home affairs would mean that the creation of strategic sector headquarter on the front and increase manpower and infrastructure along the China border would pick up pace in the near future.
Massive infrastructure, vigilance operations post-Doklam standoff
Notably, the deadlock between India and China in Doklam in 2017 had prompted the Indian side to ramp up its infrastructure and connectivity in borders areas. In this regard, a parliamentary standing committee has recommended a thorough overhaul to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to improve roads and infrastructure along the disputed border with China in 2018.
The frequent incursion by the Chinese People's liberation army has forced India to launch a massive program to upgrade infrastructure along the China border, especially in the Arunachal Pradesh region.
It is to be noted that, the staging camps work as temporary border outposts (BOPs) for ITBP force patrolling the borders along the Himalayan frontier, and provide them rations, logistics and a place to stay.
In order to cut down the distance between the successive BOPs at these harsh terrains that experience frequent blizzards and sub-zero temperatures, ITBP had requested for the creation of new posts that have now been cleared by the home ministry.
180 BOPs along the Line of Actual Control
As per a report in the Economic Times, presently, there are 180 BOPs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with each post housing around 100 soldiers. One official privy to the development said these new BOPs will have a temperature-controlled structure that would assist the Indian forces to effectively counter transgressions by the Chinese army.
The new posts will also help the guarding forces to rotate troops from forwarding locations to units in the mainland in a better manner. Currently, each batch of troops is rotated once every three months.
After a humiliating defeat in 1962 against China, ITBP was created to guard the 3,488 km-long LAC with China that runs along with the new union territory of Ladakh and states of Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh.
