Siliguri : Union Home minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Siliguri Corridor is a very important area of eastern India and the deployment of SSB here is a reason for reassurance and confidence for the whole nation.
Addressing the Sashastra Seema Bal’s 61 st Raising Day, Shah said due to vigilance of the force, “we have been successful in creating an environment of trust in the eastern region,”.
He said that the SSB has played a pivotal role in making Bihar and Jharkhand Naxal-free after almost four decades.
He said while respecting the dignity of the friendly relations between India and Nepal, the removal of more than 1100 encroachments in No Man’s Land by the SSB was a great achievement. Shah said the force has adopted a zero-tolerance policy over the last three years against encroachment on government land within 15 km of the border and has successfully freed thousands of acres of government land from encroachment.
To mark the occasion, Shah also virtually inaugurated an Integrated Check Point (ICP) of Agartala and the newly constructed residential complex of BSF at Petrapole
He said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Central Government has been making the lives of CAPF personnel easier with schemes like Ayushman Card, barracks, CAPF e-Housing and scholarships/ SSB jawans were promoting self-employment by training the youth of the border areas, Shah said, adding “SSB has done a unique job of connecting the culture, language and rich heritage of border villages with the mainstream of the country.”
He said the border force was working hard to remove encroachment from government land, stopping smuggling of narcotics, weapons, wildlife, forest products and counterfeit currency with a zero-tolerance policy
Paying tributes to the brave soldiers, who laid down their lives in protecting the country’s borders and eliminating Left Wing Extremism from the eastern region, the Home Minister told the families of the martyrs that the sacrifice of their brave sons has given the nation a new life, energy and enthusiasm and the entire country is proud of them.
Shah pointed out that the SSB has done a unique job of connecting the culture, language and rich heritage of the border villages of India with the mainstream of the country. He said the force has fulfilled the motto of “Service, Security and Brotherhood” through its duties. He said SSB has carried forward the traditions of trust, heritage and friendship with Nepal and Bhutan.
Shah pointed out that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had adopted the policy of one border, one force, after which SSB was given the responsibility of vigilance and security of the border with Nepal and Bhutan.
He said since its foundation in 1963, SSB has generated a great sense of patriotism and attachment with India in the border villages. Shah said the countrymen are assured of their saty because SSB jawans are standing guard at the 2450-kilometre-long Indian border with Nepal and Bhutan
