Customs to set up Under-Vehicle scan system at Indo-Pak border

Amritsar, Feb 5: In an effort to rein in arms trade, illicit transactions and smuggling activities along the India-Pakistan border, the Indian customs authorities have decided to put up an Under-vehicle Inspection System (UVIS) at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) near Attari border, Amritsar.

This means all the vehicles, be it the buses or trucks, plying between India and Pakistan, will have to go through a thorough under-vehicle inspection before it cross the ICP.

Once the system gets operational, the department will have the images of the vehicles' undercarriage and those images will be provided to controls rooms for tight scrutiny.

Experts believe that the hi-tech inspection system will help the department in a significant way to inspect the undercarriages of the vehicles.

The modus-operandi of smugglers is usually hide the illicit goods in sockets made at the base of vehicles. Department says that the new system can detect sockets or even the modification made in the vehicles.

They say that all the vehicles have to go through the checking and the survelliance system is capable of detecting any wrongdoings.

Trade between India and Pakistan through the land border route is not at its best of days, but customs officials are of the opinion that the application of the system will not hamper trade ties between the two neighbours.

Authorities say that even though Pakistan was first to install a full-body truck scanner at the ICP and India haven't done it till date, they believe that the new system once installed will counter the growing menace of smuggling and counterfeiting from Pakistan soil.

OneIndia News