KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs is mulling to increase the number of Border Outposts (BOPs) to make it 500 so that the border security can be ensured.
As per the directives from the instruction of Ministry of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa, the Armed Police Force has prepared the draft of such plan and submitted it to Minister Thapa and high officials at the Ministry on Monday.
Nepal has 121 BOPs whereas India has 530 BOPs on its border with Nepal. To make it go with the Indian BOPs the task force has advised the government to make at least 500 BOPs on the border side.
The recommendation has pointed out the need of at least 9,000 more manpower to equip those BOPs. The BOPs which like at the distance of each 15 KM will be shortened to the distance of 3.5 km provided the recommendation is enacted.
After getting the draft, Minister Thapa has appreciated the proposal prepared by Armed Police Force of Nepal and directed IGP Shailendra Khanal to prepare a detailed plan.
Citing that border management is the precondition for peaceful, prosperous and independent Nepal, Thapa opined that the nation should not be hesitant in making investment for the border security.
He assured that the government would take initiation to establish 500 BOPs phase wise.
Minister Thapa instructed APF to identify the prospective places for BOPs in coordination with province government, local levels and district administration.
He informed that the Ministry of Finance was positive to allocate budget to establish customs in 111 places.
The number of BOPs was merely 87 before Ram Bahadur Thapa was assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs. Now the number of BOPs has become 120. The Council of Minister has already approved Minister Thapa’s proposal of establishing 221 BOPs.
Similarly, the BOPs which had only 5,000 personnel before has got 8,383 people after the border seal.
After Minister Thapa’s instruction to reduce the number of personnel in the headquarters and the hilly and himalayan region to equip the border with more.
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