BGB three-dimensional force now, says PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday declared Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) a three-dimensional force after the induction of two helicopters, Bir Shreshtha Nur Mohammad and Bir Shreshtha Abdur Rouf, into it, reports UNB.

"We're celebrating Mujib Barsha. In this Mujib Barsha, BGB got two helicopters. This is indeed a matter of pride. I'm declaring BGB as a three-dimensional force; from today BGB is a three dimensional force," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing a programme for inducting two MI-171E helicopters into the Air Wing of BGB. The programme was held at the BGB Headquarters, Pilkhana. She attended the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

She asked the BGB personnel to keep the goodwill of the force by discharging their duties with sincerity and faith imbued with patriotism.

"Let this force to be built as the best force," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said that the government wanted to make all forces of the country capable to go with the other forces across the globe.

She said that BGB protects the border of the country which is a huge task for them.

"For this, the government will do whatever this force needs," she said.

The Prime Minister said that to make the BGB a modern and time-befitting border force, the government has taken massive reforms and development programmes.

She mentioned that the government has passed the BGB Act-2010 and to make it a world standard modern boarder guard force the government has taken plans to formulate 'Border Guard Bangladesh Vision-2041'.

"Now, BGB is a very much skilled, well-organised and dynamic force," she said.

She said that to improve the operational capability of the BGB, the government has completed huge development works and many others will be finished soon.

Govt to recruit 15,000 BGB troopers

She said that there is a plan to recruit 15,000 more members in the force which will be implemented in three steps. In the first step, there will a regional headquarter with 4,282 personnel, one K-9 unit, one regional intelligence bureau, one station headquarter, one guard police battalion.

These activities will be completed by 2022.

In the second phase, she said, there will be a sector, five battalions, one reserve battalion, one K-9 unit and training centre with 5,782 members and increase of manpower for five border guard hospitals is under consideration.

She said that purchase of two ultra-modern fast craft, seven ocean going ultra-modern high-speed boats, two marina and two trailers are under process.

The Prime Minister said that in the ECNEC meeting held on September 22, the government has approved to build 73 more new composite BOP. This will have a positive impact on soldiers' morality apart from increasing BGB's operational capacity many times.

Talking about the unwanted incident that took place in this force, she said that the government does not want a recurrence of such incident.

"Many lives were lost. Those who were involved in this kind of incident caused loss for themselves, the force and the country," she said.

She hoped that this kind of incident will not happen again in future.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Senior Secretary of Public Security Division of Ministry of Home Affairs Mostafa Kamal Uddin and BGB Director General Major General Md Shafeenul Islam also spoke at the programme from Pilkhana.