New Delhi, February 12

Expensive and sleek snow scooters, usually found at ice-capped tourist spots for adventure sport lovers, have for the first time been inducted for patrol by ITBP troops along the Sino-Indian frontier.The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Five of these powerful scooters, procured from a US-based firm, have been deployed at high-altitude border locations of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim to monitor the Chinese PLA deployment on the other side. Officials said the modern scooters, all costing around a crore, can seat two personnel (driver and pillion rider) with their rifle and ammunition in tow and can negotiate a 45-degree slope on the hills. They are supported by chaincase belts to help the 278-kg machine glide smooth and cut through the ice.The force, as part of bolstering its capabilities to effectively secure the 3,488-km border, had last year procured over six dozen SUVs and sent them to far-flung border areas for patrol and transport. — PTI