In a two-hour long meeting on Thursday Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials briefed the Parliamentary Panel on Home Affairs, headed by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, on the force’s preparedness for the winter months at a time of face off with the Chinese army in Ladakh.
Sources said the ITBP officials made an exhaustive presentation about what they have done from April when the first Chinese incursions started till now to augment their capacities in terms of rations, clothing, medical facilities and access both via road and air.
No questions were asked about the Chinese occupation, members said. “This is not the time to raise such questions that could hurt the morale of the force which is working in really harsh conditions,” one of the members said.
The ITBP revealed that their men suffer from a host of diseases and the nearest hospital is in Leh. “There are instances of frostbite, teeth falling off, cardiovascular issues, thyroid related issues and so on. There are a lot of psychological and nervous issues. The ITBP informed us that they have a tie-up with NIMHANS to deal with such problems,” another member said.
The temperature goes up to minus forty degrees in winters and the stand off has worsened the situation for the force with more aggressive patrolling required on forward posts.
