ITBP Dply in Leh?

DUPLICATION OF EFFORT: ITBP IN LEH?

 

My comments are based on the article in IDSA on the issue of deployment of ITBP in Leh.

ITBP under the Home Ministry has deployed five battalions of troops in the Leh on LAC which has seen recent stand offs with the Chinese Border guards under their PLA. The HQ is located in Srinagar with an advance HQ functioning in Leh. The communication sets are outdated and reliance is on HF sets which are susceptible to interception and jamming. For local admin they are reliant on the Army. Regular patrolling is undertaken by them in the un demarcated LAC with China. The LAC is also regularly patrolled by the Army units which are heavily deployed with adequate reinforcements should the situation warrant.

The LAC is not an international border where policing is the order of the day than regular troops. The LAC is more prone to border face offs with the PLA where the PLA entered as far as the Depsang plateau and threatened the Indian airfield at DBO. Under such circumstances the deployment of ITBP poses more security hazards then advantages. Unlike the LOC with Pak where regular troops are deployed, the LAC is mixed up. There is therefore need to reassess the deployment of ITBP on the LAC especially in Ladakh region. What are the options?

OPTION 1

 The five bns deployed in the Leh region should be completely withdrawn and the border be handed over to the Army for deployment of regular troops and patrolling the area under direct control of the army since the LAC is sensitive and the area of strategic importance.

OPTION 2

The ITBP bns along with the HQ should be placed under the operational and adm control of the army. The advance HQ should be abolished and the HQ located in Srinagar should be moved up to Leh and maybe even ahead of that.

Both the options are workable. Only change of mindset is required. There is no point in duplicating the efforts. Infact the resource should be more fruitfully utilized which can be dovetailed in the overall army plan of patrolling. National security is overriding priority over empire building and ego between the Defence and Home Ministry. There is no point in duplicating resources which is against the basic management principle of ‘optimum utilization of resouces’ It would be prudent on the next Govt to review this ITBP deployment and place it under the army or remove it completely in the Leh sector.