BHUJ, May 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the government was considering expansion of the BSF’s operational mandate by assigning it new sectors, and announced that a new paradigm of “territorial security” will be added to complement conventional border security.
Addressing BSF personnel on a visit to Gujarat’s Kutch district to review border security, he also said the ongoing work to secure the vulnerable sections of the Harami Nala and Sir Creek areas along the border with Pakistan was almost 70 per cent complete.
The Union government has decided to transform the BSF’s concept of border security, he said. The BSF currently guards India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“When I assumed office as the country’s Home Minister, during my first review of the BSF’s operations, the Harami Nala and Sir Creek areas appeared somewhat lacking in terms of security preparedness,” Shah said.
The government formulated an action plan aimed at establishing a “leak proof” security grid in every respect, with the measures ranging from construction of watchtowers and connecting roads to the provision of drinking water, medical services, residential facilities, and new fencing, he said.
“I can state that approximately 70 per cent of this work has now been completed. It gives me and the Ministry of Home Affairs immense satisfaction to know that within the next two years, this vulnerable sector will be permanently secured against the malevolent gaze of the enemy,” Shah said.
The government has decided to mark the 60th year of the BSF by completely transforming its concept of border security, the Union home minister said. “In the coming days, we will establish a security grid based on a four-pronged concept, and we will also launch a new paradigm of ‘territorial security’ to complement traditional border security. This will involve the participation of the general public, civil administration, local police, and the military; naturally, BSF personnel will continue to play a pivotal role in this endeavor,” Shah said.
Through this collaborative effort undertaken as part of the ‘Smart Border Security’ project, the government is working to fortify the security grid across India’s entire border, encompassing both the Bangladesh and Pakistan fronts, he said.
“This project entails an investment running into thousands of crores of rupees. The planning phase for this initiative is currently underway. While some presentations have already been delivered, others are still pending,” he said. By integrating various robust components including drones, radars, watchtowers, state-of-the-art technology and the brave BSF personnel, an impregnable security grid will be established, the Union minister said.
“We are also contemplating expansion of your operational mandate to include additional areas of responsibility. We are actively considering assigning new sectors and operational domains to the BSF in the near future,” he said. Talking about the Bangladesh border with West Bengal, Shah said the most significant vulnerability in India’s border security grid lies in the area.
“A BJP government has now been established in Bengal, and the Chief Minister has, within just one week, taken a principled decision to allocate all the necessary land for fencing purposes, and the process of handing over some of this land has already commenced,” Shah said.
Once the fencing is completed, the government will succeed in curbing infiltration on a massive scale. The only routes left for infiltrators will be through forests, mountains, and riverine channels, and work is underway to implement technical fencing solutions in these areas, Shah said.
The union minister is on an extended tour to the country’s border areas for security review and interactions with local officials and senior BSF officers. In the morning, he inaugurated the border outpost G-7, inspected a control room at OP tower 1170 and visited the Harami Nalla creek where he planted a sapling.
The government has never hesitated to allocate necessary funds and utilise the latest technological advancement for alleviating hardships faces by BSF personnel in harsh weather conditions, the Union minister said. “I am well aware of the technical challenges involved in the installation of the watchtower that has been erected here. But our personnel devised technical solutions and successfully constructed this tower,” he said.
Shah was slated to chair a meeting to review security arrangements and interact with BSF personnel later in the day. He started his tour from Bikaner in Rajasthan where he visited the BSF outpost at Sanchu, attended the ‘Prahari Sammelan’ and virtually inaugurated barracks for women personnel before reviewing the border security with senior BSF officers.
He is also likely to visit the border with Bangladesh, starting with a visit to Tripura on June 5, followed by a visit to West Bengal, officials said. (Agencies)
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