Jamshedpur, July 5: Senior Border Security Force (BSF) officials today inspected sites in East Singhbhum district to identify a site for a proposed reserve battalion

The BSF team, led by deputy inspector-general Anil Kumar Jha, visited Maubhandar (Ghatshila) and Sundernagar as part of the tour.

?BSF is in the process of setting up reserve battalions in almost all the states,? said Jha. ?In Jharkhand we have zeroed in on Jamshedpur due to strategic reasons. Our Calcutta and Malda-based units in Bengal are closer to Jamshedpur (than other parts of the state).?

Talking to The Telegraph, Jha said the BSF requires about 100 acres or government or private land for the unit.

State government sources said the paramilitary team has zeroed in on the Rakha mines area in Ghatshila sub-division. The plot belonged to the Hindustan Copper Limited but was taken over by the state government after the mining activities dwindled.

Requesting anonymity, a BSF official said: ?We would soon apply for the land to be transferred to us. The process could take a month or two.?

Jha said the BSF, at present, has a presence in Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan borders. Now it wants to expand its base and thus the survey for camp locations.

However, the BSF officials refused to comment on whether the paramilitary forces at the proposed camp would assist the state?s fight against Naxalites.