Siliguri, Jan. 6: The top brass of Sashastra Suraksha Bal (SSB) has submitted a proposal to the Union home ministry for deployment of another battalion in the region to guard the porous and mountainous stretches of the Indo-Nepal border.

The battalion posted in Sikkim would also be operating ?in full strength? soon, senior officials of the force said.

The move to augment forces along the border comes in the wake of heightened Maoist activity in Nepal and intelligence reports that rebel outfits like the KLO and Ulfa will hold training camps in the eastern part of that country.

In a meeting presided over by SSB director-general Himangshu Kumar earlier last month, heightened threat perception in the region had been discussed.

Members of the new battalion will receive special mountain training for the purpose, SSB sources said.

?The recent strikes by the Maoists close to Indian territory and the security risks posed in their aftermath, have prompted the proposal,? said Jag Bahadur Singh Negi, the SSB inspector-general who is in-charge of the Guwahati and Patna frontier headquarters.

Currently, two SSB battalions (one stationed in Siliguri and the other at Gangtok) cover a 144-km stretch of the border in north Bengal and Sikkim.

Negi said since Illam borders Darjeeling and is located north of Jhapa, Nepal?s eastern district that is adjacent to Siliguri subdivision, the need of the hour is to have another battalion deployed in this part of Bengal. ?A proposal on the matter has been sent to the home ministry at the Centre,? Negi said.

Both Illam and Jhapa have seen heightened Maoist activity in recent times.

The SSB battalions here are ?incomplete? in terms of trained manpower, sources in the paramilitary force said. A senior official at the force?s Ranidanga headquarters, 12 km from here, explained: ?We need to have at least one battalion, which comprises six companies of around 120 personnel each, to man the 26 border outposts (BOPs) in the region. But in reality our BOPs have ?platoon strength? of around 40 heads.?

The officials also said some SSB personnel were also assigned to perform daily chores for senior officers, in addition to performing guard duty inside and around the sector headquarters and other units. This, in turn, reduced the number of men needed for the BPOs, he said.

?The Maoists from the Himalayan kingdom have struck thrice near Darjeeling district, which is a cause for concern. We are on high alert,? said SSB deputy inspector-general (Ranidanga) Tshering Namgial. ?In the Pashupatinagar strike last May, the guerrillas used parts of the Indian territory to provide cover fire for their comrades.?