Patil gets earful, BSF asks for all that N-E jawan gets

Give us what you are giving your jawans in the North-east’’ — that was the reply from BSF jawans to Home Minister Shivraj Pat...

Give us what you are giving your jawans in the North-east’’ — that was the reply from BSF jawans to Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s impassioned speech on peace and violence and the importance of border fencing.

At the RS Pura BSF post this morning, Patil got to hear a mouthful from the jawans. Three of them took turns at the microphone, listing the poor work conditions and benefits before handing him a folder with written complaints and recommendations.

The jawans told the Home Minister that their salaries and prescribed leave were lower compared to their counterparts in the North-East and other regions while their work was more dangerous and compelling. Travel allowances, reimbursements on transportation and household freight, dearness allowances, sanctioned rations and promotions also came up.

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Patil’s stock reply: ‘‘These are all very important points that you have raised. I will take them at my ministry and consider them very deeply.’’

In his speech, Patil chose to dwell on border fencing. With just 25 kilometres of security fencing left on the Indo-Pak international border in Jammu, the BSF is confident of ending the project a good year ahead of schedule. Patil commended the BSF jawans, some of whom are directly involved in erecting the fence.

Senior officials at the post requested Patil to consider developing manpower to maintain the fence once it was complete. Patil said his attention had been called to the need for sensors to make the fencing more effective. ‘‘I think sensors should be installed — that will make the fence more effective. The fence is important. With it, we have seen infiltration go down. We can protect our people without bullets of violence,’’ Patil said.

A BSF official said though a ceasefire was on, occasional exchanges of light machine gun fire still persisted. While there was talk of a Jammu-Sialkot road and an internal ceasefire, Patil was non-committal on both.

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A scheduled aerial survey of the border fencing work in progress was cancelled for security reasons. The Home Minister met local delegations from Jammu in the afternoon; Patil is scheduled to meet delegations from industry associations and the Northern Command chief before dining with CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

Patil leaves for Leh on Monday where he will meet MPs, MLAs, members of the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council and Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council and the GOC of 14 Corps before returning to the Capital.

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