New Delhi: CRPF jawans can now look forward to get rid of staying in tents and dilapidated structures as the force has rolled out a massive plan to construct and
provide permanent barracks to all its troopers deployed on operational duties across the country.
A large number of jawans of the country`s largest paramilitary force live in tents and other such temporary structures in the absence of permanent barracks at their place of duty.
Such conditions had earlier led CRPF troopers contracting life threatening diseases. They live in unhygienic environment at various places in the country, including in the jungles of Northeast and Naxal-affected states.
The force, which has close to three lakh personnel in more than 200 battalions, has also begun constructing family quarters for the families of the personnel and the officers to bring the housing satisfaction level in the force to one-third of the total strength.
"The satisfaction level of family quarters at present is 13.45 percent against the authorisation of 25.37 percent. Sanctions for construction of 1,714 family quarters worth Rs 190.27 crore has been accorded to the force," official data of the CRPF said.
"27,810 deficient family quarters and 145 deficient barracks are being constructed through public-private partnership scheme via the Home Ministry at various CRPF campuses. And thereafter the force will have the desired satisfaction level of 25.37 percent in family accommodation and 100 percent satisfaction among inhabitants of barracks. This is expected to be achieved soon," a senior CRPF officer said.
"A number of small detachments in the forms of companies (about 100 personnel) and platoons (around 25 personnel) are deployed across the country. It is essential that these troops get a decent place to live so that they are cheerful and disease free for discharge of their duties.”
"We expect the barracks to be constructed soon whereas we also want to construct more establishments of the force so that family housing satisfaction level can be raised from 25 percent to about 40 percent in the near future," the CRPF officer said.
At present 30,067 family quarters have been constructed and 8,340 quarters are under construction as against the authorisation of 72,463 houses under the same category, the officer said.
The issue of permanent accommodation and barracks has been plaguing the mammoth force for a long time even as its jawans are deployed for various types of duties like conduct of elections, anti-riots and crowd control, security of VIPs and strategic installations.
The force is also acquiring 4,047 acres of land at various places in the country for opening new zonal, sector and range headquarters, group centres and battalion camping sites among others.
PTI
