RS Pura (Jammu): With an aim to more
effectively check cross-border infiltration, The Jammu and
Kashmir police has set up a 120-member Village Defence
Committee (VDC) for deployment along international border in
Jammu frontier.
The VDC force drawn from local border area residents
have been deployed for the security and intelligence gathering
along international border from Lakhanpur bordering Punjab to
Akhnoor in Jammu under the operational control of police.
"To strengthen the counter infiltration security grid
in the wake of increase in cross-border infiltration, police
has raised a new squad of VDC members. They will work with
police and paramilitary forces to check infiltration",
Superitendent of Police (SP), Jammu Rural, J S Johar told
reporters.
They have been armed with weapons and communication
gadets and asked to actively perform their security tasks
including area monitoring, patrolling in indepth areas along
the borderline, keep an eye on riverine and infiltration
routes, Johar said at the function at Satowali firing range in
R S Pura border belt, 35 km from here.
The international border (IB) is 170 Km long from
Lakhanpur to Akhnoor and passes through border districts of
Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
The IB is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF)
with most it having three-tier border fencing and
floodlighting.
The Second tier of the security is being maintained by
the Army and third tier by the Police.
"Involvement of the local people living in border
hamlets close to border with the security grid as VDC members
will prove to be major counter infiltration measure", the SP
said.
The step has been taken in view of intelligence inputs
that 400 of militants are waiting to infiltratre into J &
K via international border.
PTI
