Rajnath wants ongoing border projects completed on priority

NEW DELHI, Aug 7: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today ordered that the ongoing border area development projects should be completed on priority in a time-bound manner.

The directive has been issued at a high-level meeting, chaired by Singh, convened to review border area development projects.

The home minister directed that the ongoing projects should be completed on priority and in a time-bound manner, an official statement said.

Singh said technological solutions should be put in place where physical barriers are not possible. This will involve networking of equipment like high-resolution cameras, radars, unattended ground sensors, optical fibres, infra red sensors, aerostats and hand-held thermal imagers etc.

The minister expressed concern over the difficulties being experienced by the residents of border areas, the statement said.

He said necessary assistance should be extended to them in the field of education, health and other basic necessities.

The status of border roads, flood lights, border outposts (BOPs) and integrated check posts (ICPs) along the international borders was reviewed in the meeting.

Major impediments hampering the development of Border Infrastructure were also discussed, it said.

Those who attended the meeting include Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, home secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba, heads of border guarding forces and senior officers from different organisations. (PTI)