PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar has switched to a Tata Safari from bulletproof (BP) Ambassador car. The state home department has upgraded the entire fleet of
CM carcade with 11 modern bulletproof sports utility vehicles (SUVs).
Prior to the purchase of these SUVs, Bihar government was completely dependent on Hindustan Motor's Ambassadors as bulletproof vehicles for which spare parts were also not readily available in the market. So much so that even for its tyres, the home department was dependent on Border Security Force (BSF), said a source.
The new fleet consists of six Tata Safaris and five Toyota Fortuners. They have been handed over to the home department's Special Security Group (SSG) for operation. While all the Safaris come with factory-fitted bulletproofing equipment, the Fortuners are retrofitted, means they are made bulletproof after complete manufacturing.
Such bulletproof SUV, weighing more than 1.5 tonne, costs around Rs 6 crore. The home department presently has 25 bulletproof Ambassadors out of which only six are functional.
Sources said the new SUVs are more comfortable, agile and can accommodate at least three more security personnel in comparison to the Ambassadors. These SUVs can withhold grenade explosion below it and spree of bullets fired from AK-47 even from 10 metres.
"The purchase of these SUVs is very important, looking at the upcoming 2019 general elections when VVIPs need bulletproof vehicles according to their security protocols," said a senior IPS officer on the condition of anonymity.
Sources said during the 2014 general elections, the state government had failed to provide a modern bulletproof vehicle to the then Guajarat CM Narendra Modi as per his security protocol.
Sources said the situation was such that during Prakashotsava celebrations in January 2017, Tata had especially provided two bulletproof SUVs to the home department for facilitating VVIP movement, as at that time, the state only had Ambassadors in its fleet which were unable to meet the security requirements. The automobile firm had delayed in supply of the BP SUVs to the state government. The two SUVs were later taken back once it supplied the pre-ordered six Safaris.
ADG (headquarters) SK Singhal said bulletproof vehicles are an integral part of security arrangements for which the VIPs or VVIPs are authorised. "Out of the 11 SUVs, one has been sent to Bihar Bhawan in New Delhi which would be used by CM whenever he goes there," he said.
Singhal also said the police department was planning to purchase six more BP SUVs for use by former CMs. "The proposal is yet to take final shape," he said.
"The aged BP Ambassadors will be now phased out slowly. First, they would be used for emergency backup and then would be scrapped following certain guidelines," he said.
Sources said all bulletproofing materials from vehicles are first taken out and destroyed, only after which the vehicle is scrapped. "Virtually, nothing remains in the vehicle after destroying its bulletproofing elements and it becomes a scrap," a senior police official said.
