India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism for many decades. It has taken steps to fortify the borders but due to the long borders it shares with neighbors and the treacherous terrain, the task of fortification has been an arduous one. Now, it looks like the government of India has finally found the solution to secure its borders against infiltration. In order to thwart infiltration efforts from Pakistan’s side, India has set up an ‘electronic wall’ on the international border. In Jammu, this first high-tech surveillance system has been developed in two parts of the international border.
This technology creates an invisible electronic barrier in land, water and air. This will help the Border Security Force (BSF) to identify and deal with the intruders who infiltrate by exploiting difficult terrains to their interest. The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will launch two pilot projects in Jammu on Monday. In one project, Jammu’s border cover of 5.5 km will be covered. This system has been named Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS).
It is a very well known fact that Pakistan sponsors terrorism in India. Pakistan provides terrorist its territories to infiltrate into Indian borders. Mostly, infiltration happens at night in such areas where the land is not flat. Under the CIBMS, many modern surveillance technologies will be employed. It will also have advance features such as thermal imager, infra-red and laser based intruder alarms. Intruders will be detected with the help of invisible ground fencing, aerial surveillance, and a unique ground sensor which will detect and inform the security forces about the movements of intruders.
So far the intruders used to enter the border of India by digging tunnel, but now it will not be possible. Through the tunnel, radar and sonar systems, the boundaries of the river can be secured on the border. The command and the control system will receive data from all the surveillance devices in real time. After this, the security forces will be in a position to act quickly and thwart infiltration attempts.
According to this Times of India report, an official of the Home Ministry said that this virtual fence based on Integrated Border Management System in India is the first of its kind. The official said that CIBMS has been designed to protect the areas where physical surveillance is not possible, whether it is due to land area or river borders.
The technical support will increase the strength of the security forces. In fact, meeting with human resources, arms and hi-tech surveillance equipments will make the security of the border impermeable. The CIBMS, in future, could be deployed in other border areas besides Pakistan, especially India’s border with Bangladesh. The India-Bangladesh border is very porous which has resulted in massive infiltration of illegal Bangladeshis in Indian border states such as Assam. The illegal Bangladeshis have not only put a strain on the state’s resources but have also become a controversial political topic.