Indo-Bangla border in Assam gets advanced surveillance system

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday inaugurated an advanced electronic surveillance system along the 61-km India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri district of Assam to tackle cross-border crimes and provide respite to BSF personnel from round-the-clock patrolling.

Addressing a press meet in Dhubri, Singh said the new project, under Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), will equip the unfenced areas along the riverine border with sensors, enabling the troops to take prompt action against intrusion.

"The BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) project will cover the entire span of river Brahmaputra in Dhubri with data network generated by microwave communication, OFC cables, day and night surveillance cameras and intrusion-detection system," the Union minister said after inaugurating the project.

These modern gadgets provide feeds to the BSF control rooms along the border and enable the paramilitary force's quick reaction teams to thwart any possibility of illegal border crossing and crimes.

Noting that the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for safeguarding of the 4,096-km-long international border with Bangladesh, he said, "At places, where it is not possible to erect a border fence due to the geographical barriers, this BOLD-QIT will prove effective.

"The implementation of this project will not just help the BSF crack a whip on cross-border crimes, but provide respite to the troops from round-the-clock human surveillance," he said.

The 61-Km border in Dhubri district, where river Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh, comprises vast stretches of sand bank and innumerable river channels, making vigilance a daunting task for the BSF, especially during the rainy season.

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Talking about a border project in West Bengal, the Union home minister said, "The state government there had assured us about a year back that it would acquire land. But that has not happened so far and work got delayed," he said.

Singh also said he inaugurated two smart fencing pilot projects, spanning five kilometers each, on India-Pakistan border in September last year.

Asked if the facility will be extended along the entire India-Bangladesh border, Singh said, "It will take time, but a system such as BOLD-QIT system should be adopted along the Indo-Bangla border as well as the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir."

To a query on National Register of Citizens, the draft of which was published last year, the Union minister said work was underway.

"Work on updating the NRC is progressing well. The register will be published on July 31," Singh added.

In January 2018, the information and technology wing of the BSF undertook project BOLD-QIT and completed it in record time with the technical support of various manufacturers and suppliers.

"The riverine section of Indo-Bangladesh border in Dhubri is considered to be highly porous where movement of illegal immigrants and smuggling of arms, ammunition and other goods are very common. The smart fencing will solve the problem to a great extent," a Home Ministry official said on March 4.

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