SSB to deploy commandos on trade, transit routes

Our Correspondent

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Pithoragarh, February 25

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the force guarding the Indo-Nepal border, will depute commandos and jawans on all 22 trade and transit routes spread across the 1,761-km-long territory across the border, SSB Additional Director General Somesh Goyal said at a press conference at Ranikhet today. He was addressing the media during the last leg of his three-day visit to the SSB regional headquarters at Ranikhet in Almora district.

“We are deputing specially trained commandos at all 22 trade and transit routes along the Indo-Nepal border from this year. We want residents to extend their help in nabbing smuggling and trading of counterfeit currency at the border,” said the force ADG at the press conference.

According to the ADG, efforts are on to form a coordination committee for the purpose. “The force wants to enumerate the maximum cooperation from those residing on these transit and trade routes of smugglers and wildlife traders,” said the ADG.

Local officers of the SSB headquarters here said the project includes security of four main trade routes of Jhoolaghat, Dharchula, Banbasa and Gauriphanta, which pass through the 414-km-long Uttarakhand border with Nepal and come under the frontal headquarters at Ranikhet. “We have decided to increase the border posts at this border by 19. These would be in addition to 81 border posts already functioning under the headquarters at Ranikhet,” said the SSB ADG.