Labour crunch hits work on BSF barracks at Attari, deadline extended

The ₹33-crore project aimed at strengthening the border’s security has already missed two deadlines

The exodus of labourers to their native states due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has resulted in a delay in the construction of barracks for the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari near Amritsar.

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The ₹33-crore project aimed at strengthening the border’s security has already missed two deadlines — December 2019 and March 2020.

The flats in the four-storey building will be for jawans, while officials will be housed in flats in the double-storey building, LPAI officials said. A dormitory is also being built for BSF women personnel.

The foundation stone of the project was laid in January 2019 by the then Union home minister Rajnath Singh. Currently, the BSF troops responsible for guarding the ICP and the joint check post (JCP) at Attari are housed in BSF’s Khasa headquarters, around 15 kilometers from the Attari-Wagah border.

After the construction of the residential complexes, it will be convenient for the troopers to do their duty without any hassle, and they will remain available at the border anytime.

The ICP facilitates India’s trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and movement of passengers from India to the neighbouring country and vice-a-versa through the land border. The JCP is popular for beating the retreat ceremony performed jointly by the Indian and Pakistani security forces every evening.

“Now we expect the project’s completion till October as we have somehow managed to arrange around two dozen labourers. Till now, 70% work has been completed,” said Sukhdev Singh, Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) manager at the ICP.

Earlier, the LPAI officials had said the project was delayed due to the tension on the border.