NEW DELHI: Post Doklam standoff, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will get 514 satellite phones under a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) project that also covers other central armed police forces and some strategically important states for better communication and security coordination.
Also, the Intelligence Bureau will get 420 satellite phones. BSF and CRPF will get 117 and 307 such devices.
“During the Doklam face-off, we required robust communication system. The allocation of maximum satellite phones is also a part of the evolving intelligence gathering system,” a senior ITBP officer said.
Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal are among the states getting these phones, according to a document accessed by TNIE.
When it comes to states, Nagaland and Jammu & Kashmir get the lion’s share with 208 and 57 satellite phones, respectively. A total of 2,370 phones will be given to security forces, intelligence agencies and the states in the first phase of the project.“In forward postings, there is hardly any network.
Also, there are chances to intercept communication by other countries mainly by China. In disasters, it will be very tough to communicate with the current modes of communication,” a senior official in the Union Home ministry said