| BSF to get 16 new battalions, 2 field HQs for Pak, Bangla borders | | | AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, May 4: The Border Security Force is all set to get the government's final nod to raise 16 more battalions, comprising around 17,000 troopers, and set up two forward headquarters for its western and eastern commands guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh frontiers, respectively, official sources have said.
The plan has already received an in-principle approval. Once sanctioned, it will be a shot in the arm for the force that has heightened vigil in the east following last year's fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh and in the wake of a renewed challenge on the Pakistan front after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre.
The BSF is soon expected to get the final sanction for raising 16 new battalions which will be raised over the next few years, sources in the security establishment told PTI.
Some final approvals including sanction from the Union finance ministry are pending and are expected to be granted soon, they said.
The paramilitary force has 193 battalions as of now to guard the two fronts. A battalion of the border force consists of over 1,000 troopers. Hence, the overall strength of the 16 new battalions will be around 17,000 personnel. These new battalions will help the BSF in its primary task of guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders as per a blueprint being prepared by the border force, they said.
The sources said two field command bases for the force have also been approved by the Union home ministry.
One sector will come up in Jammu to strengthen security along the India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu and Punjab and the second will be based in Mizoram for better surveillance of the Bangladesh border, they said.
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