Sanjha Morcha

Reduced tenure for ITBP men in Naxal-hit areas, can seek transfer

Reduced tenure for ITBP men in Naxal-hit areas, can seek transfer

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 13

As part of welfare measures for its personnel deployed in anti-Naxal operations (ANO), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has not only reduced their tenure of deployment in affected areas but will also offer them choice postings thereafter.“These issues along with other welfare schemes came up for discussions during the visit of ITBP Director General RK Pachnanda to an operationally deployed battalion last week,” a senior ITBP officer said.The DG has decided that personnel completing two years of deployment in Maoist-affected areas will have the choice of either continuing at their present location or opt for a transfer, he added.Further, it was also projected that considering the difficulties and stress involved in an ANO tenure, a posting of choice may be given to all officers and men and the same has been agreed to in principle.The ITBP, which is responsible for the peace time management of the 3,488 km-long mountainous border with China, has eight battalions deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.One battalion comprises over 1,000 personnel. The ITBP is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) under the Home Ministry that are deployed for anti-Naxal operations in addition to their regular charter.In addition, the ministry has also issued new guidelines on posting of CAPF personnel who are “care-givers” to disabled dependents. Such personnel may be exempted from the routine exercise of transfer or rotational postings, subject to administrative constraints.This follows a Delhi High Court order of January 2018 directing the Home Minister to formulate a policy for posting of such personnel.Consequently, the Home Ministry has issued directions recently to all CAPFs that guidelines and provisions of tenures and other rules for peace and field postings may be relaxed by the competent authority on merits so as to meet the requirement of care-givers.