Paramilitary forces to get more mine-protected vehicles
Expenditure sanction for Rs 613.96 crore has been issued to paramilitary forces
Delhi, April 24: The government will soon procure mine-protected vehicles for the movement of paramilitary forces in the Naxalism-hit areas and Jammu and Kashmir and remotely operated vehicles to help anti-militancy commando force NSG in encounter sites, officials said Tuesday.
Expenditure sanction for Rs 613.96 crore has been issued to paramilitary forces such as CRPF and the BSF for the purchase of additional mine-protected vehicles, bullet-proof jackets, ambulance, etc.
Expenditure sanction for Rs 16.84 crore has also been issued to the National Security Guard (NSG) for the purchase of seven remotely operated vehicles, a Home Ministry official said.
"We are enhancing our counter-IED capabilities in Kashmir. We are procuring and sending more MPVs and are bullet-proofing force buses. As it is difficult to armour large buses, we are looking at procuring small 30-seater buses that can be better armour plated," CRPF Director General (DG) R R Bhatnagar told media.
The force uses MPVs for limited troop movements in the anti-Naxal operations theatre and some of them are being used in Jammu and Kashmir too. About six personnel can travel in these four-wheeled vehicles.
Bhatnagar said small buses can be better fabricated and provided bullet-resistant armour as compared to the standard large buses that seat 54-57 people. A similar large bus was blown up during the Pulwama attack.
The NSG has already procured the Renault Sherpa Light Armoured personal carrier. The Sherpa is highly mobile in war zones and it has a 4.76 litre, 4-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine.
The 4x4 vehicle has a payload of 2.2 tons and can carry 10 personnel. Even though the vehicle is 11 tons in weight, it has a top speed of 110 kmph and can run 1,000 km with a tank full