BSF to ditch camels to ride sand scooters

JAISALMER: For the BSF, the ship of the desert may “sink” and “shrink” too, provided the hi-tech mode it is planning turns out to be viable.
In a bid to keep up with the times, the BSF plans to introduce sand scooters to keep vigil along the Pakistan border. In this series, trials of special scooters and special four-wheeler vehicles from the US, China and other countries are going on in Jaisalmer.These petrol vehicles are priced well above Rs 6 lakh. The trial will continue till the end of July and if these prove successful, the vehicles will be used along with the camels to man the difficult desert terrain.
Though sources say that camels may not be withdrawn right away, the BSF is planning to reduce its camel fleet in the future as their upkeep is a major concern for the force. Buying quality animals, maintaining the same and their upkeep is quite a task.
Sources said the trial of 500cc ATV scooter Nebula Jaguar of Chinese company Nebula Exports was conducted in the third week of May.
Later, the trial of Polaris field vehicles was carried out during the last week of May. The vehicles that were tried include Ranger 800, Ranger RZR 4-800 and Sportman. Similarly, trial of vehicles belonging to Maini Group was held in June.
BSF sources said a panel has been formed at the headquarters in New Delhi and a report will be sent to the HQ soon after the trial. BSF will also send a recommendation to the Centre to acquire the ATVs.
Armed with ammunition and other equipment, jawans conducted trials in extreme heat conditions.