Paramilitary forces will finally have adequate bulletproof
helmets as the Home Ministry, which was sitting on the proposal, has acted at
last.
Before demitting office, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde
has given his nod to expedite the purchase.
The ministry has given its sanction to the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) to purchase 47,000 bulletproof helmets through a tender.
Mail Today was the first to report that the CRPF has only
800 such helmets, against the sanctioned 50,000 for a force of 2.9 lakh. The
CRPF has the highest presence in Maoist-hit states, with nearly 85,000-90,000
personnel serving in the Red Zone.
Despite bullet injuries on the head being one of the most
common causes of death, red tape in the ministry ensured that jawans go into
combat zones without even the most basic requirements like bulletproof helmets.
"Earlier, it was decided that the ministry will
purchase them and then hand it over to the forces," said a senior officer.
The ministry instead sat over the proposal.
"Now we have been permitted to go for a tender and buy
them on our own. It's good we don't have to depend on the ministry for something
as basic as this," said the officer.
While the standard operating procedures in the Army clearly
state that every soldier in insurgency-hit areas must have a bulletproof
helmet, these rules did not apply to paramilitary forces due to bureaucratic
lethargy.
Sources said the CRPF has been made the nodal agency for
carrying out a tender and purchase helmets for all other paramilitary forces.
Bulletproof helmets are also needed by BSF, ITBP, SSB and
Assam Rifles for their troops serving in combat zones.
The Ministry woke up from its slumber to fast-track the
process for acquiring helmets in March after an attack in Chhattisgarh killed
15 security personnel, including 11 from the CRPF.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2628575/CRPF-bulletproof-helmets-Shindes-final-Home-Minister.html#ixzz31kP6GxEa
No comments:
Post a Comment