ITBP's amphibious unit to man water bodies along China border

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Indo-Tibetan Border Police,
deployed along India's border with China, on Tuesday
announced formation of its water wing to man lakes, rivers
and hot springs in the Himalayan region.
The water wing will help the border force man the Pangong
Lake, whose one-third portion is in north of Ladakh in Jammu
and Kashmir, Indus River and some of the hot springs and
rivers in northeast.
This was announced by Director General of ITBP R K
Bhatia, who retires on Wednesday. He had initiated the process
of setting a separate water wing to man the boundary with
China.
During the year, the intelligence wing of the force has
been reorganised while a new water wing has been formed,
Bhatia said in his farewell speech to officers and jawans of
the force.
The newly-formed water wing will have strength of a
little over 100 personnel led by a commandant. It will be
equipped with mechanised and inflatable boats which will help
the force maintain round-the-clock vigil of water bodies along
the border and Line of Actual Control.
ITBP was so far dependent on the Army for manning the
water bodies.
The force had earlier given sanction for setting up
exclusive intelligence wing which will generate information
along the crucial Sino-Indian frontier.
In order to meet the growing requirements of ITBP,
deployed along the 3,488-kilometres Indo-China border as a
primary vigil force, the government has approved a Rs 3,000
crore modernisation plan.