Fresh mapping of frontiers to plug infiltration points
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 25
In a bid to clamp down on smuggling and infiltration, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered remapping of frontier areas along the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh to identify vulnerable spots with a purpose of sealing them.
Sources in the MHA said a decision in this regard was taken and direction was given to the Border Security Force (BSF), which guards eastern and western frontiers, at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to physically map the borders and identify “vulnerable points”.
An order has also been issued to set up a special task force in the BSF to remap the border “either on foot or by bike” with the help of police forces in the state, sources said, adding that the officials in the task force would be drawn from the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, Customs, and police.
Once the mapping of borders is completed and vulnerable points identified, the intent is to further strengthen the existing fencing.
The Centre has already been working with state governments to deal with the drug menace in Punjab and Rajasthan. Drugs are being smuggled from Pakistan and the government is yet to come up with a foolproof strategy to tackle the problem. Besides intelligence reports suggest that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence has been operating in the border areas of Punjab and Rajasthan in its bid to look for new entry points to push terror elements in India.
Recently, there were reports about Pakistani terrorists trying to influence Indian visitors at the Kartarpur corridor. Intelligence sources stated a few terrorists have been spotted hiding in the area near the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Pakistan. Following the incident, the Border Security Force (BSF) tightened security near the area. The intelligence agencies have also warned about training camps near Muridke, Shakurgarh and Narowal.
