Kolkata, Jul 8 (IANS): Ravi Gandhi, ADG, Border Security Force (BSF), Eastern Command, inspected the progress of construction of a Composite Border Outpost (BOP) at Kakmarichar in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Monday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned the construction of 383 Composite BOPs along the 4,096.7 km-long Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) that passes along the states of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Of these states, the IBB stretches for 2,216.7 km in West Bengal.
Composite BOPs are a marked improvement from conventional ones that provide basic amenities and defences to BSF troops deployed in that area. A Composite BOP will have at least one barrack for the jawans with a kitchen, dining hall and toilet block.
It will also have an administrative block, a weapons storage facility, a dedicated wireless room, garage and a medical unit.
Every Composite BOP will have six cemented bunkers to ward off any attack. Such BOPs will provide a better work environment for jawans and greater dominance against criminal activities along the IBB.
The Composite BOPs are being constructed at strategic locations and Kakmarichar is one of them.
The ADG also reviewed the new proposed domination line and assessed its strategic importance. Kakmarichar is on the banks of the Padma River, the centre point of which acts as a natural boundary between India and Bangladesh.
In October, 2019, a BSF head constable was shot dead by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) during a flag-meeting between the two forces. This sparked off a major row between the two border-guarding forces.
A K Arya, DIG and spokesperson, BSF, South Bengal Frontier said that the ADG toured the area extensively and even travelled on a tractor while visiting the Area Of Responsibility (AOR) of BOP Bamnabad, School Ghat.
He said that the ADG also reviewed the new domination line in the AOR of BOP Rajanagar. He was accompanied by Maninder P S Pawar, IG, South Bengal Frontier, BSF.
Earlier, he reviewed the night domination strategies at Charbhadra Base BOP and carried out a thorough check of night-vision devices and Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera points to ensure effective surveillance 24x7.
The ADG also held a detailed briefing with company commanders of 146 Bn BSF, addressing critical issues relating to area domination, surveillance and other operational matters.