Rijiju assures better services to jawans at crucial outposts

GUNJI (Uttarakhand): Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel on Monday met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and raised their 'long-delayed' demands of better service conditions at crucial border areas.
Rijiju visited the Nabhidang border outpost (BoP), which is located at the height of 15,000 feet and close to Indo-China and Indo-Nepal border, and is also known as tri-junction.
The jawans apprised the minister of their ordeal and requested for a "time-bound" solution.
SSB jawans, who were stationed at the BoPs at Gunji and Kalapani, raised the issue of poor infrastructure, saying they have to undertake a foot-journey of more than two days to reach Gunji from Dharchula.
"Road facilities are very poor in the area. We are deployed here round-the-clock and our task is to secure our borders. The only thing we required urgently is basic concrete roads so that transportation can be done easily," Havaldar Ram Nayak of SSB told Rijiju.
"There is no medical facility available at Gunji, Kalapani or Nabhidang BoPs. We are completely left at the mercy of God. I would request you (Rijiju) to provide us air-ambulance so that soldier in need can be air-lifted to hospitals," Sepoy Krishan Kumar said.
The jawans said they had "never imagined" that a Union minister will come to meet them, as not a single minister had done so in the last 68 years after the independence.
Rijiju began a two-day visit to Uttrakhand yesterday morning and visited the high altitude Border Outpost of Police (BoPs) at Gunji, Kalapani and Nabhidhang.