Indian frontier guards go hi-tech on eastern theatre

Dawki (Meghalaya), Jul 4 (UNI) Indian frontier guards has installed a high-tech Battle Field Surveillance Radar (BFSR), along the India-Bangladesh border, in the eastern front to curb cross-border terrorism.

The BSF had also procured 900 hand-held thermal imagers and despatched 400 of them to forward areas.

The devices, which cost Rs 28 lakh each, could detect heat from the human body and would help track the movement of people, a senior BSF official said.

''We have already placed these sophisticated surveillance and tracking gadgets at certain vulnerable areas to prevent all sorts of infiltration, including movement of narcotics and arms smugglers into India from Bangladesh,'' Inspector General of BSF in-charge of Asom and Meghalaya P K Mishra told UNI here.

He said the induction of the new devices would help us to better the border domination activity.

At least, there are 176 camps in the neighbouring country run by the NE-based insurgents there. Apart from insurgent's criss-crossing the porous border, smuggle of cattle, narcotics, counterfeit currency was another key issue that security forces in the Eastern theatres have to tackle.

Meghalaya, Asom, Mizoram and Tripura share 1,700 km with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, riverine, unfenced and prone to frequent infiltration.

The introduction of these hi-tech gadgets to stop infiltration of militants came after the Bangladesh defence authorities acted on Indian-based insurgent's camps in their country.

''There has been reduction of militants sneaking in and out from the border after these devices were installed,'' Mr Mishra said.

However, the IG BSF said the border force is not neglecting the conventional mode of patrolling along the border.

''We will continue with our conventional patrolling and at the same time focussing on all-round improvement of the same,'' he said.

He asserted that the BSF is procuring fast attack craft, amphibious vehicles, high speed patrol boats and rigid inflatable country boats. These vessels would be deployed with floating border outposts.

A jawan, who handled these new electronic detection gadgets, said that the installations of these gadgets have boost the morale of his other colleagues to tackle infiltration.

''These devices have helped our jawans especially in inaccessible terrains, and now we can easily track movement of human and animals in the border,'' a junior BSF officer said.

Mr Mishra said the induction of these gadgets have also reduced the stress and strain on the jawans, patrolling the unfenced international border in the NE.

UNI