Fencing, surfacing work completed along India's border with Bangladesh, China: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Mar 2(ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said that a major part of fencing, surfacing and road work being carried out along India's international borders with Bangladesh and China were completed during February.

Presenting the Home Ministry's monthly report card in the national capital, Chidambaram said that under phase II of the India-Bangladesh Border project 47 kilometers of fencing and 83 kilometers of road work were completed along the border in February.

He also said that 123 kilometers of fencing were replaced under phase III of the project, while poles for floodlighting were erected on a length of 95 kilometers and cables were laid on a length of 45 kilometers.

Notifying about the work being carried along the India-China Border, Chidambaram said: "2.38 kilometers of formation works and 3.59 kilometers of surfacing works were completed in February."

He further informed that under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), Rs. 79.84 crore was released to Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal during the last.

Chidambaram also said that the Home Ministry was particularly strengthening the country's coastal security, and have added 14 more boats to its force.

He said that a total of 92 boats have been supplied by the two shipyards responsible for the delivery against a target of 126 boats to be supplied by March.

Some more will be delivered in the month of March, while at the request of the shipyards, time has been extended up to April to deliver the remaining boats.

The Minister also visited Attari on February 20 to inaugurate work on the first Integrated Check Post on the India-Pakistan border.

"Out of 42 Immigration Check Posts (ICPs), computer systems have been installed in 30 ICPs so far, including 13 that were installed in February," Chidambaram said.

Orders regarding relaxation of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in respect of Himachal Pradesh were issued on February 24, and a review is under way in respect of Rajasthan, he added. (ANI)