Battalion Commandment Manjit Singh Bhurji, while speaking to the press, said that the competitions are actually in continuation to the Motor Training competition held in August this year. He said: "These events are part of the All-India Police Duty meet. We'll select the (ITBP) team from the competitors here to participate in the AIPD meet, scheduled to be held at the fag-end of 1999."

The three-day competitions that began today will see representatives from seven sectors vying for the top ITBP positions. In all, 35 first aid and ambulance personnel and 84 wireless/cryptography personnel will participate in the competitions. Speaking on further plans of the Central force, Commandant Bhurji said that the 30-bed capacity of the ITBP base hospital will be increased to 100-bed, catering not only to the requirements of the force jawans but also for the other Central Police Organisations, the BRD, CRPF and CISF. He said additional battalions of the ITBP will be deployed to reinforce its four units in Himachal, "for familiarising with the terrain''.