SSB escort services lifted after a decade
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) security escort for Bhutanese vehicles plying along subsidiary routes connecting to National Highway 31 in Assam, India, has been lifted since March 16.
This follows a decision taken during the eighth Bhutan-India meeting on border management and security held on January 29 and 30 in Thimphu.
Although the official notification on the lift is yet to be released, police, following verbal directives from the home and cultural affairs ministry’s bureau of law and order, allowed Bhutanese vehicles to ply without the escort since March 16, after documenting the exit and entry of all vehicles at various border gates.
For commuters plying the 43km Gelephu-Santaibari, 41km Panbang-Barpeta, 54km Nganglam-Patshala, 25km Jomotshangkha-Rowta and 50km Samdrupjongkhar-Rangia roads, lifting of the escort services meant not having to wait for hours and having to travel in a convoy. The escort services were provided for five days a week, except for Thursday and Sunday.
The bureau of law and order director, Karma Tshering, said SSB, a government of India border security force, had provided security escort to Bhutanese commuters plying NH 31 since August 2004, after they took over from Indian army, because of the risk and threat perception posed by the insurgency groups in India.
Although the escort services provided along the subsidiary routes in West Bengal were lifted in September 2005, after the situation improved, escort services continued along the subsidiary routes in Assam, because the threat perception and risk were existing and highly volatile.
“But since many people commuting along the route consider the situation to have normalized, and perceived escort services as something that posed more inconvenience and harassment, the ministry was put under pressure to request the government of Assam to lift the escort,” he said.
The director also said the matter on the need to lift the escort services was even discussed in the parliament, and it was one of the main discussions during the India-Bhutan border meetings held annually.
Karma Tshering said the Indian government agreed to look into the security of Bhutanese people travelling along the routes.
He, however, said safety of the Bhutanese commuters plying along the subsidiary road is still an issue, and people should refrain from traveling along the routes from 7pm to 6am. “Unless it’s an emergency, people should refrain from traveling after dark,” he said.
Meanwhile, home ministry officials said local authorities would decide on the Sarpang-Gelephu highway that remains close to traffic from 6pm to 5:30am for security reasons.
Director Karma Tshering said the dzongda and police have the functionary position to decide on whether to allow people to ply, or to keep the road closed to traffic, based on the threat perception and situation.
By Tashi Dema
3 Comments to “SSB escort services lifted after a decade”
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Karma Tshering said the Indian government agreed to look into the security of Bhutanese people travelling along the routes.
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Yes,Logical it must be a typing mistake coz i dnt think it is safe to travel during the night instead of the day.i also think it must be closed from 6pm till 5:30am.this small typing mistake misleads the readers.but we r used to these kinds of mistakes from our oldest newspaper provider.
“Meanwhile, home ministry officials said local authorities would decide on the Sarpang-Gelephu highway that remains close to traffic from 6am to 5:30pm for security reasons.”
Would it not be more convenient to follow the closure timing from 5:30pm to 6am instead? This may be a typo mistake…