INDO-CHINA BORDER MANAGEMENT

Findings by Parliamentary Panel:

• Lack of basic amenities:
  • Nearly 82% of Border Outposts (BOPs) of the ITBP do not have access to clean drinking water. Drinking water is obtained from rivulets and springs which are polluted.
    
    
  • Only 24% of BOPs of the ITBP have a regular supply of electricity. The rest (76%) are dependent on generators.
    
    
  
  
  
• Border roads: Over 40% of BOPs of the ITBP are unconnected by road. Only 32 out of 73 roads along the China border are complete, even as ITBP has proposed to construct 96 more roads.
  
  
• Health issues: The ITBP personnel are at risk of several high altitude health hazards. In the past three years alone, over 500 were said to be suffering from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPO), Acute Cerebral Edema and loss of memory. Moreover, there are a large number of vacancies in the medical team.
  
  
• Ill-equipped force: The Committee criticized the Government for not equipping the ITBP personnel with basic training gadgets and facilities, viz., modern equipment like eight-lane firing simulator and interactive touch display.
  
  

Recommendations made:

• The Committee strongly recommends that proper provisions be made to make clean and safe drinking water available to the ITBP personnel in all the BOPs.
  
  
• The modernization of the Force must be given utmost priority as this Force not only has to face any enemy from across the border but also vagaries of nature.