Dehradun: Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) director general S S Deswal has pitched for bolstering of mobile connectivity infrastructure on the border areas in Uttarakhand which shares the international border with Nepal and China.
In a meeting with CM Trivendra Singh Rawat in Dehradun on Friday, Deswal raised the critical issue of mobile connectivity and also the allotment of land for building housing infrastructure for the ITBP personnel in the hill state.
Deswal would return to Delhi on Sunday and during his stay in Uttarakhand he would be briefed by top ITBP officials about the ITBP's preparedness at the border outposts.
After Nepal has staked territorial claim over Lipulekh-Kalapani areas in border areas in Uttarakhand, the need for boosting the mobile connectivity has become the top priority for the India's security apparatus which includes ITBP, army and Sashastra Seema Bal.
ITBP spokesperson, Vivek Pandey told the Millennium Post, that the force needs land in Uttarakhand where over 10,000 personnel are deployed at different locations. "After the meeting, the CM has given assurance for fulfilling all the demands of the ITBP in Uttarakhand. The DG also apprised him about the plans of the ITBP for Uttarakhand," said Pandey.
In Uttarakhand, the ITBP has a full-fledged academy for officer training and refresher courses for personnel, on the Mussoorie road and a huge campus in Dehradun. In the meeting with the CM, Deswal also shared the Himalayan tourism project of the ITBP and modalities of developing the Tehri lake as the water sport destination. "The ITBP has prepared the plan for the development of the water sport destination at the Tehri lake which has great potential of giving employment to local youth," said Pandey.
State government officials are upbeat about the meeting between the DG and the CM as it shaped up a roadmap for infrastructure development. "The land issues would be sorted out and the BSNL has been asked to speed up all the proposals for boosting the mobile connectivity in border areas," said a senior state government official.