Face readers at border to keep track of farmers

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 17

Faced with increasing instances of cross-border smuggling and to check unauthorised movement across the border fence, the Border Security Force (BSF) is introducing face recognition-based access-control system at gates through which farmers move to till their land.

As a pilot project, one such system is being installed at a border post to monitor and regulate movement.

During a visit to Amritsar, BSF Director General KK Sharma said Pakistani smugglers were trying to push in more contraband into India and that seizures by the BSF had gone up in the recent past. Connivance of some border residents, including those who cross the fence for farming, is a known fact.

According to BSF sources, the face reader, with ruggedised hardware, should be fixable on a fencing gate, naka or observation post.

The system, having a storage capacity of at least one lakh entries, will have a camera with infrared source for low-light conditions, that will be linked to a laptop and handheld tablets.

“The system will also have information about unwanted persons such as known smugglers, criminals or blacklisted persons and generate a different alarm for them on recognition,” an officer said. “Additionally, the system will be able to register additional information in respect of farmers like vehicle, animal, farming tools, farm products and personal belonging, besides keeping a record of other persons such as helpers or labourers accompanying registered farmers by taking their photograph,” he added.