New Delhi, March 26 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has strengthened its presence with 29 new border outposts along the India-China border since 2020 as part of a broader security buildup along the 3,488 km border, according to a report by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The new border outposts (BOPs) span altitudes ranging from 9,000 feet to 18,750 feet across the Western, Middle, and Eastern sectors along the Himalayas, from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh, the 2024-25 report, released on Wednesday, said, adding that the ITBP is manning a total of 209 BOPs.
The number of ITBP-managed BOPs was 180, according to the ministry's earlier report for 2020-21.
The increase in the number of BOPs comes in the wake of the 2020 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley, which marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
The ITBP had conducted 4,503 patrols along the Indo-China border from April to December 2024 to maintain strict vigilance, the latest report said.
"The ITBP ensured the security of the border and remained vigilant during heightened security scenarios along the Indo-China border," it said.
The ministry created the Department of Border Management in January 2024 to focus on issues related to the management of international land and coastal borders.
The department works to strengthen border policing and guarding, the creation of infrastructure such as roads, fencing, flood lighting, and border outposts (BOPs)/ company operating bases (COBs) at the borders, and the implementation of the Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
Efforts are also being made on the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, where the ministry has approved the construction of BOPs, the report said.
"Out of 509 Composite BOPs, 383 Composite BOPs are to be constructed along the India-Bangladesh Border," the annual report said.
Similar work has also been done on the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders, it said.
The ministry has also sanctioned 736 BOPs along the India-Pakistan border, of which the construction of 690 was completed, it added.
In addition, the ministry has implemented two pilot projects of the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) in stretches of 5 km each in Jammu along the India-Pakistan border, and one project covering 61 km in Dhubri, Assam, along the India-Bangladesh border.
"CIBMS is the integration of manpower, sensors, networks, intelligence and command control solutions to improve situational awareness at different levels of hierarchy to facilitate prompt and quick response to emerging situations," the report said.
It further said that based on the vulnerability of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, terrain conditions, crime patterns, and the peculiarities of the area, the borders have been classified into different segments to be covered through technological solutions.
