New BSF Western Command headquarters to come up in city

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

After years of delay and administrative bottlenecks, decks have finally been cleared for establishing permanent headquarters for the Border Security Force’s Special Director General (SDG), Western Command, in Chandigarh.

About five acres have been allocated to the BSF by the Chandigarh Administration near the Air Force’s No.3 Base Repair Depot, which will house the office complex as well as associated facilities.

The foundation stone would be laid by BSF Director General KK Sharma on July 1.

The SDG, Western Command, is responsible for the deployment of the BSF along the western border with Pakistan from Gujarat in the South to Kashmir in the North, including the stretch of the Line of Control from Akhnoor to Zoji La Pass.

At present, the headquarters has been functioning from a makeshift location from a BSF campus at Lakhnour near Mohali. In 2002, the headquarters of the BSF Additional Director General was established in Chandigarh in September 2002 and it initially functioned out of leased residential accommodation in Sector 42, before being moved out to Lakhnour. Later, it was upgraded to SDG.

This would be the first permanent BSF establishment in the city. Other central armed police forces like the Central Reserve Police Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Forces already have large campuses here. The BSF is also acquiring land in the city’s periphery to accommodate some of its battalions.