Over 300 officials comprising Police, DeSuups, Army, local leaders, customs, immigration and forest officials, and volunteers are guarding three formal and 21 informal routes along the Samdrup Jongkhar border.
The Dzongkhag shares its border with two states of India, Assam in the south and Arunachal Pradesh in the East. With the numbers of COVID-19 cases on the rise in Assam, border surveillance is a high priority for the Dzongkhag administration.
At present, due to the nationwide lockdown in India, movement of people across the border is minimal, however, if India lifts the lockdown, the Dzongkhag Administration will need additional manpower to guard the borders.
BBS spoke to the Dzongda, Tharchin Lhendup to find out more about the challenges faced by the Dzongkhag administration and to also learn more about how they are dealing with the COVID-19 preparedness in Samdrup Jongkhar.
Kinley Wangchuk
