Chandigarh would soon house headquarters for Western Command of the BSF

CHANDIGARH:

Chandigarh would soon house headquarters for Western Command of the Border Security Fore(BSF). The new complex, expected to be completed in next three years, would be headed by a special director general (DG) of BSF and would control five frontiers including Kashmir, Jammu,  Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat spread over approximately 2,800 km area.

All these frontiers are headed by an inspector general (IG) rank officer, who would report to the office of special DG, BSF based in Chandigarh. BSF DG K K Sharma on Sunday laid the foundation stone for administrative block of headquarters, Special DG (Western Command) BSF near 3-BRD air force station Chandigarh.

The ceremony was attended by all the IGs of five frontiers responsible for guarding India-Pakistan border and the heads of the five premier training institutions of the BSF and other officers of the Western Command.

The operational challenges of Western Command are very diverse. From infiltration by highly indoctrinated militants in Jammu, to the smuggling of drugs in Punjab and Rajasthan and illegal movement on the Indian side of the creek in Gujarat by Pakistani fishermen.

Although the Western Command was created as a distinct administrative unit in 2006, all relevant clearances and permission related to establishment of infrastructure have come in 2018. The new complex is expected to be completely functional in the next three years.