Naxal menace: SSB moves outposts to Nepal border

The Sashastra Seema Bal SSB is shifting its border outposts closer to the India-Nepal border in the dense forests of Shravasti and Balrampur districts of Uttar Pradesh in view of the increased Naxal activities in the region. Earlier,the SSB outposts in the area were deep inside the Indian territory because of the restrictions on raising hellip;

The Sashastra Seema Bal SSB is shifting its border outposts closer to the India-Nepal border in the dense forests of Shravasti and Balrampur districts of Uttar Pradesh in view of the increased Naxal activities in the region.

Earlier,the SSB outposts in the area were deep inside the Indian territory because of the restrictions on raising any kind of structures in the forests. The dense forests and the terrain made it difficult for the SSB to keep a proper watch on the border. Now it has got the necessary permission from the Centre and the state government to move its outposts closer to the border.

DIG at the Lucknow Frontier SSB headquarters,Anil Agarwal,told The Indian Express,The decision to shift the outposts was taken after a group of Nepal-based Maoists intruded into the Indian territory and damaged three border pillars in Shravasti on June 21. The Maoists had also raised their flags atop trees in the Indian territory.

The SSB patrolling teams could know about the incident only the next morning as the outposts in the area were located five to eight km away from the border,outside the forests. With the shifting of the outposts into the forest areas,the distance will be reduced to 200 to 500 metres, Agarwal said.

In a letter to UP Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta on August 25,Agarwal had requested for help to facilitate smooth movement of the forces in the forest areas. The DIG said they had received a reply from the state government,with an assurance of complete assistance in setting up SSB establishments in forests on the Nepal border. The Environment Department of the Government of India has already given them the green signal.

Agarwal said that the SSB battalion in Balrampur has begun shifting its base to the forest area. The jawans are staying in tents as the outposts are still being set up there. We have set a deadline of December 31 for establishing nine border outposts of Shravasti and 12 of Balrampur in the forest area, the DIG added.

Agarwal said the forests provided a safe route to Naxals to intrude into the Indian territory and also help poachers get away with their catch unnoticed. The forests of Shravasti and Balrampur have several nullahs flowing in from Nepal and these provided safe passage to the intruders.