Virtual fence to guard western border

Mukesh Ranjan

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 8

Aiming to curb infiltration and narcotics smuggling from across India’s western border, the government is readying itself to put in place a 24x7 seamless virtual fence using electronic gadgets and sensors. Two pilot projects in the Jammu region are already in the final stages of completion.

A senior official in the border management division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the two Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution (CIBMS) projects, each 5 km in length, are being executed by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border (IB), close to the notorious Pakistan villages of Mashroor Bada Bhai and Mashroor Chhota Bhai.

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“As the two villages fall close to the fencing, they become a good facility centres for drug peddlers and terror operatives.”

The official said the fencing, costing around Rs 10 crore per kilometre, at the two project sites was likely to be completed by early next year. “Once the two facilities become operational and their efficacy is verified, the government plans to roll it out all along the IB with Pakistan from Jammu to Rann of Kutch in Gujarat through Punjab and Rajasthan,” he added.

Earlier in the day, while answering a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the CIBMS includes different types of sensors, radars, day and night vision cameras, etc.

On how the system will work, the MHA official said radars, sensors and CCTV cameras are being installed on the existing towers fitted with floodlights along the border.

“Through the radius of human eyes, as the person is standing on the surface, the surveillance range is quite limited and possibility of error cannot be ruled out. But once these gadgets are installed at a height, the range and accuracy of surveillance increase several notches.”

The radars and sensors will have a range of 2.5 km beyond the fence. “By locating activities much beyond the human eye range, the forces can get ample time to react to a particular situation,” the official said.