JAMMU, July 29: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has approved Rs 45.19 crore for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to purchase vehicle-mounted Remote Controller Improvised Explosive Devices (RCIED) jammers for use in hyper-sensitive areas especially in Jammu and Kashmir and for certain VVIP protectees.
Estimated cost of one such vehicle is around Rs 4.5 crore and initially the paramilitary force will be procuring 10 vehicles as the Home Ministry has approved Rs 45 crore for the purpose, official sources told the Excelsior.
While situation is well under control on anti-militancy front in Jammu and Kashmir and security forces haven’t allowed the militants to trigger IEDs, recently, police have recovered IEDs and sticky bombs at different places which means that the threat isn’t over. In view of this, the MHA doesn’t want to take any chances and has approved purchase of RCIED jammers, they said.
The CRPF will now start the process of procuring 10 vehicles initially with RCIED jammers and, most of them, would be used in the Kashmir valley where IED threat is higher than Jammu region or other parts of the country. However, a couple of vehicles could also be sent for use in Naxal-infested areas.
“Depending upon success of the vehicles and requirements, the Union Home Ministry could give nod for purchase of more such vehicles for the CRPF for Jammu and Kashmir,” sources said.
However, as per the sources, these jammers will be used in hyper-sensitive areas, particularly in South Kashmir and parts of Srinagar where the threat of planting IEDs by the militants is high.
RCIED jammers are a key system to address threats from the IEDs.
The vehicle-mounted jammers protect surroundings up to a few hundred metres from IED blasts by blocking the specific radio frequency required to trigger the blast.
Asserting that such jammer vehicles could prove to be very useful, sources said, in due course of time the MHA is likely to order purchase of more such vehicles for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Naxal-infested States. Some vehicles of similar nature are already in use in the Valley, sources said.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an increase in seizure of IEDs and sticky bombs. Pakistan has been using drones to send sticky bombs and IEDs from across the border to Jammu and Kashmir. Recently, police have seized number of such consignments which were sent from drones through the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. The militants had managed to smuggle some of the weapons to the Kashmir valley.
Sources said a proposal was sent in October regarding RCIED jammers in view of a growing threat from IEDs under police modernisation. The MHA has cleared the proposal with an estimated cost of close to Rs 45.19 crore. These jammers will be used during the movement of VVIPs in hyper-sensitive areas. It’s a very important vehicle-mounted jammer, required for convoy movement,” sources said.
