In a new year bonanza for thousands of CRPF men,the government has sanctioned almost 2,100 acres of land for establishing residential facilities at battalion centres for the personnel,who are facing a nagging problem of living infrastructure across the country. The worlds largest para-military force with around 2 lakh 50 thousand men and 210 battalions has been continuously on deployment for performing anti-Naxal,counter-insurgency and law and order duties in various states. With the establishment of the battalion headquarters in the next two years which will have the residential facilities too,around 50,000 personnel of the force will be benefited,who till now have to live in temporary facilities because of lack of permanent structures. The CRPF has also been accorded sanction of approximately Rs 1,300 crore for this purpose along with other works like establishment of firing ranges. With the sanction and establishment of these centres,the personnel of the force will have better residential facilities which is directly related to their performance output and physical well being. The troops can also keep their families here,fulfilling the emotional and psychological necessities of these men who are continuously working, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) spokesperson Ajay Chaturvedi said. The new centres will also have facilities for medical care,schools and recreation centres for the jawans and their families. The battalion centres will come up at different locations like Delhi,Jammu,Jalandhar,Kohima,Kolkata,Jaipur,Tripura,Masagaon (Chhattisgarh),Assam,Leh,Taralu (Karnataka),Aurangabad (Bihar),Port Blair,Mathura and Sonabhadra in Uttar Pradesh among others. Almost 98 per cent of the CRPF is on deployment and continuous movement for various duties including riot control and law and order,a senior CRPF officer said. The government has also sanctioned building of 8,826 quarters under the separated family accommodation at existing CRPF locations for personnel who stay away from their families for long duration. The CRPF will also have 16 new firing ranges at its various existing locations,the officer said adding,the force is also raising about 38 battalions (about 40,000 personnel) in the coming years.
