PITHORAGARH, Feb 2 : The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Monday launched a facial recognition system at the Jhulaghat bridge on the India-Nepal border in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.
Officials said that the SSB’s 55th Battalion has taken this step to identify citizens of both countries wishing to cross the border, and this system has been launched on a trial basis for now.
SSB Commandant Ashish Kumar said, “This system has been launched on a trial basis for one month. After the completion of the trial period, its report will be sent to the director general of SSB, who will decide whether to continue or discontinue it.”
Highlighting that this system will be beneficial for those crossing the border frequently for business, religious and family purposes, he said, “(It) has been launched keeping in mind the large crowds that visit Nepal for the worship of Tripura Sundari Devi.”
The official said that the facial recognition system will be connected to the director general’s office through the closed-circuit cameras installed at the border, and this will make available information about every person crossing the border.
The official said that the facial recognition system is very efficient as it provides the identity of a person in just 10 seconds as opposed to the previous system, which took five times longer.
He said that the advice of the city’s traders will also be taken into consideration before making a decision regarding the continuation of this system.
Yogesh Bhatt, president of the Jhulaghat Traders Association, said though the system is effective, there are some concerns related to privacy and misuse of identity.
He said, “We will talk to traders and other stakeholders on both sides of the border before giving our opinion on this matter.” (PTI)
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