E-Paper
2nd wave further delays construction of BSF barracks at Attari border
Motive behind the project is to strengthen the security of integrated check post and joint check post at Attari-Wagah border
The second Covid wave has further delayed the construction of barracks for the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at the Attari-Wagah border as the construction company concerned has been struggling to get enough labourers due to the restrictions imposed.
The ₹33-crore project is aimed to strengthen the security of the integrated check post (ICP), which facilitates India’s trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the joint check post (JCP) that is famous for Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border.
Earlier, the project was to be completed by March 31, 2021. However, its deadline was extended till April 30. Officials of the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI), which is overseeing the project, said due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions, the project has missed its deadline.
“Ninety percent of the construction work has been completed. Only the interior works are pending. Indian Railway Construction Limited (IRCON), which is responsible for the construction works, had sought a three-month extension citing shortage of labourers. Now, the project will be completed by August 31,” said LPAI’s ICP manager Sukhdev Singh.
He said once constructed, the project will be handed over to the BSF. Most of the migrant labourers have gone back to their native towns fearing lockdown, he added.
For now, the troops manning the ICP and the JCP have been accommodated at the BSF’s Khasa headquarter, which is around 20km from the border. A BSF official said, “It takes around 25-30 minutes to reach the border from Khasa. We will be able to guard the border 24x7 once the residential buildings are constructed.”
The project — comprising one four-storey and one two-storey building — has already missed three deadlines. The construction of the barracks was started in December 2018.
The flats in the four-storey building will be for jawans, while BSF officials will reside in flats in the double-storey building, said a LPAI official. A dormitory is also being built for women personnel of the BSF.
The project
Total cost: ₹33 crore
New deadline: August 2021
Total facilities: 370 flats: a 4-storey and 2-storey building
Dorm for women personnel: 1
