PATNA: The idea of underground bunkers is very old. Hitler had his underground bunker to escape from Allied powers. The army has its bunkers to protect itself from insurgency motives as well as to counter enemies. Now, the Bihar police are planning to introduce pre-fabricated underground bunkers in the state to intensify its counter-offensive against the Maoists.
“The Jharkhand police are also planning such bunkers. We will introduce bullet-proof bunkers to counter the Maoists as well as to protect our own policemen,” Bihar DGP Neelmani said on Friday.
The DGP added that apart from having the adequate number of special task force (STF), SAP, homeguards and other jawans positioned in the Maoist-affected regions, these bullet-proof underground bunkers will be pre-fabricated huts which can be piled onto trucks and moved as and when the need arises. Bihar, incidentally, has 16 Maoist-affected districts including Patna. The other Maoist-hit districts are — Nalanda, Nawada, Gaya, Jehanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, West Champaran, Munger, Jamui and Bhagalpur.
“Sometimes, police hold camps in government-run schools in rural areas where there is no government accommodation to counter the Maoists. When the particular counter-offensive against the Maoists is complete, the police vacates the school, and the Maoists often blast it by using explosives,” the DGP said, adding in order to safeguard the government property in the form of schools, and also for protecting the lives of policemen, this novel concept of pre-fabricated underground huts is being launched.
The Bihar Police Building Corporation (BPBC) is planning to get 60 to 100 portable, pre-fabricated huts at a whopping Rs 50 lakh each to equip the police in its anti-Maoist offensive. In fact, such a model prepared by a Ammedabad-based company has been bought, which is equipped inside with bullet-protection sheets. There are 372 police stations in the 16 Maoist-affected districts.
Speaking on the preparedness of the state police, the DGP added even the 12 police outposts in Patna district, including Saguna Mor, Anisabad, Sipara Mor and Gaya Zero Mile, are to get 15 pre-fabricated huts in a week’s time. The 15 pre-fabricated huts at a cost of Rs 7-8 lakh each and having the capacity to accommodate 20 personnel at a time, have already been bought from the Ahmedabad-based company. “These portable huts will be highly advantageous for crime control,” Neelmani said.
Read more: Police to get bunkers to counter Maoists – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Police-to-get-bunkers-to-counter-Maoists/articleshow/7160229.cms#ixzz199RWCEIi