Constant vigil along Sikkim’s western borders with Bengal, Nepal

KUSH HANG LEEWANG
GEYZING: Sikkim’s western borders with West Bengal and Nepal continues to be sealed and under constant vigil during the ongoing lockdown period.
Sikkim Police and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel have been deployed along the border to prevent cross-border movement of people and the west district administration and police have heightened vigil along the porous border round the clock.
The 40-km-long border with West Bengal from Nayabazaar Jorethang to Gorkhey has been completely sealed along with the Indo-Nepal frontier in the district.
Concertina wire fencings have come up at all the checkpoints, bridges, suspension bridges, pathways and alleys that connect Sikkim with West Bengal and Nepal. Rangbhang checkpost and NTPC checkpost near Rangbhang river in West Sikkim and Darjeeling bordering areas have been sealed and protected. Sikkim police and IRB personnel have been on constant guard along with some Forest department staff on the banks of Rangbhang river to check the cross border movements of people.
It was reported that camps have been set up near all the porous bordering areas and extensive patrolling is being initiated to stop inter-State trespassing.
Soreng police station SHO Niraj Khatiwada informed that cross-border movement of the people and activities have been curtailed amidst the lockdown and porous bordering areas have been kept under constant vigil to avoid the unauthorized entry of outsiders in the State. He further added that people who were trying to enter Sikkim through various porous points were persuaded to go back to their native places till the lockdown was over.
An IRB jawan maintained that sealing and protecting border areas at this time of corona threat was most necessitated and urgent. He shared that sense of responsibility, unity and cooperation are all people need to win the war against coronavirus.