More than 40 of the CRPF paramilitary troopers lost their lives in the cowardly Pulwama terror attack. Post the disaster, the government came under fire for not providing the Indian Armed Forces with necessary things to protect themselves from the nasty terror attacks.
In a bid to save the soldiers from any such explosive device attack, Government has finally approved 30-seater bomb-proof buses for them. “We are enhancing our counter-IED capabilities in Kashmir. We are procuring and sending more MPVs and are bullet-proofing force buses.
As it is difficult to armour large buses, we are looking at procuring small 30-seater buses that can be better armour plated,” CRPF Director General (DG) R R Bhatnagar told PTI.
The forces use the Multi-purpose vehicles for limited troops movements especially during the anti-Naxal operation and around 6 personnel can travel in these four-wheeled vehicles.
The Director-General said small buses can be equipped with bullet-resistant armour more productively as compared to the standard buses that have the maximum capacity of 54-57. It should be noted that the standard buses were used when Pulwama attack happened on February 14.
The officials said, adding that if standard buses get bullet-proof sheets, then its engine gets extra weight and as a result, the speed and the endurance of the vehicles get affected.
