New Delhi: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has created its first mountain-warfare training centre in northeast India with the aim of preparing troops in high-altitude combat. The survival tactics taught at the school are mandatory to guard the Line of Actual Control with China.
The new school is in the remote town of Dombang, Sikkim which is close to the LAC. It is at a height of 10,040 ft. Sikkim shares a 220 km front of the India-China LAC. It has an ideal mountainous and rocky terrain. The glacier training area spreads across a height of 14,000-17,000 feet.
It was inaugurated by ITBP director general Sanjay Arora in September 2021. It is being commanded by ITBP Commandant and ace mountaineer Ratan Singh Sonal, who has led numerous expeditions and rescue missions in the hills.
The first centre of ITBP - mountaineering and skiing institute (M&SI) - was established in 1973-1974 in Auli near Joshimath. Located at a height of over 9,000 ft in the Himalayan ranges of Uttarakhand, the school has trained thousands of soldiers in ITBP, Army, Air Force, and other security departments.
A senior ITBP officer said the new centre was conceptualised in order to enhance the capacity to train newly recruited and serving troops in mountain warfare, rock climbing, high-altitude survival, and patrol. The need to have more than one facility was being felt for a long time. The presence of Chinese troops has increased close to LAC in recent years.
Another official told PTI that the new training centre is vital for the force given the current backdrop of the military standoff with China and frequent confrontation with Chinese personnel owing to the border dispute.
The Sikkim centre is currently categorised as an ad-hoc centre. Officials are hoping that the ministry of home affairs (MHA) will sanction it formally so that more equipment, manpower, and facilities can be added.