BSF Launches Project to Seal 600+ Gaps on Pak-Bangla Borders

The BSF has initiated a special electronic surveillance project to secure over 600 “vulnerable patches” along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders

BSF Launches Project to Seal 600+ Gaps on Pak-Bangla Borders

The BSF has initiated a special electronic surveillance project to secure over 600 “vulnerable patches” along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, covering areas where physical fencing is not feasible, the force chief said. Speaking at a press conference on the occasion of the 60^th Raising Day of the force, BSF director general (DG) Daljit Singh Chawdhary said approximately 800 km of the 4,069 km India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced due to rivers and other geographical challenges.

Last year in December during the BSF Raising Day at Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that India’s two most important borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years. Chawdhary said that a “stern direction” has been given to BSF troops that “no infiltration should take place” along the 2,289 km long India-Pakistan international border (IB) guarded by it on the country’s western flank running along the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu.

In Kashmir, the BSF works under the command of the Army to secure the Line of Control (LoC). About 2.65 lakh strength force was raised on December 1, 1965. It is primarily tasked to guard more than 6,300 kms of Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh apart from rendering a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country.

DG said, “Hardly about 800 kms of the India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced…this is that area where it is not feasible to erect a fence, like the riverine areas.”

The force, along the Bangladesh front, is also undertaking a “detailed vulnerability mapping to strengthen surveillance by deploying additional manpower, special surveillance equipment’s and vehicles, Chawdhary said. For the western front with Pakistan, the DG said the force was planning to erect a “new design fence” and CCTV, PTZ (pan tilt zoom) and bullet cameras have been installed in vulnerable areas for better surveillance of this front.

As per data recorded by the BSF, more than 257 drones have been seized by the force this year as compared to more than 110 recovered last year.

Similarly, this year the force has seized over 432 kg of drugs at this front as compared to 895 kgs recovered last year. BSF data said over 172 gold and 178 kg silver was seized along the India-Bangladesh border this year.