Cross-border intrusions controllable: Shivraj Patil

New Delhi, May 16: Information about apprehension of foreign intruders indicates a decline in infiltration on India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, Minister for Home Affairs Shivraj Patil said today.

''There is no significant incidence of cross-border intrusion of foreigners in the Indo-Bhutan, Indo-Nepal, Indo-Myanmar and Indo-China borders,'' he told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour.

India-Bangladesh border was vulnerable to infiltration due to poor economic conditions on Bangladesh side, porous and riverine border, high density of population in Bangladesh, and cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic similarities among the people living on either side of the border.

India-Pakistan border was also vulnerable to terrorist infiltration, said Mr Patil.

To curb cross-border infiltration, the government had deployed round-the-clock surveillance by patrolling and establishing observation posts.

This was in addition to construction of border fencing and flood lighting, introduction of modern surveillance equipment, upgradation of intelligence set-up, and coordination with state governments and intelligence agencies, said the minister.

UNI