The opposition Zoram PeoplesMovement (ZPM) asked the state government on Monday to deploy more police personnel along the inter-state and international borders so that volunteers of village task forces can be relieved from guarding the boundaries.In a statement, the ZPM said the state has eight armed police battalions, of which one is in neighbouring Assam.It said the remaining seven armed battalions should be deployed along the borders with Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh and they should strictly follow the Centres guidelines while checking the movement of vehicles.The government should ask the Centre for deployment of security forces or paramilitary forces along the borders if the state police have manpower crunch, the statement signed by party president Lalliansawta said.Mizoram shares 284 km inter-state borders with Assam, Manipur and Tripura. It is also sandwiched between Myanmar and Bangladesh, sharing 722-km-long international borders with the two countries.ZPM said that volunteers of village or local level task forces, who are guarding the borders, should be relieved of the arduous task.Village or local level task forces are keeping vigil in at least 18 entry points along the Mizoram-Assam border and several entry points along the borders with Manipur, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh.The state's main opposition party said all village or local-level task forces should instead be allowed to guard their respective villages or localities and must thoroughly be briefed about the standard operating procedure (SOP) framed by the state government to ensure uniform operation during the lockdown.The party also urged the people to understand the financial crisis being faced by the state government.It appealed to all concerned parents and families to send money to their children and relatives who are stranded in different parts of the country, instead of seeking help from the state government.
