New Delhi, Dec. 24: The Central Reserve Police Force is set to take charge of counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and the Northeast, reports our special correspondent.

The process, which is underway, will be completed by 2005, making the CRPF the main arm of the government to tackle internal security in the country’s most sensitive regions.

The bulk of the force is deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. The CRPF has already taken over duties of eight BSF battalions in Srinagar.

There had been some disquiet in Kashmir government circles over whether the CRPF can be as effective as the BSF, which is more familiar with militant operations in the Valley.

Senior CRPF officials agree there could be a few hiccups, but are confident that the force is up to the job. “My men are well-trained and before battalions are sent in to Kashmir, they go through a through orientation process,” S.C. Chaube, the director-general of the CRPF, said.