Amit Shah reviews border security at BSF post near Siliguri, inaugurates projects worth Rs 77 cr

Siliguri, Jul 18 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday reviewed security arrangements along the border fencing in the sensitive national boundaries of north Bengal, and inaugurated development projects worth Rs 77.06 crore for the BSF. Shah inspected indigenous and state-of-the-art border security technologies, including a radio-based fence breach detection system, which instantly alerts personnel by broadcasting a pre-recorded message whenever the fence is tampered with, a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs said. He also laid the foundation for three BSF projects worth Rs 47 crore, and for the construction of a four-km border fence – at a cost of Rs 30 crore – on land newly acquired for two border outposts in Bengal, through the virtual mode. Shah had reached the Seema Chowki or the base of the BSF’s 18th Battalion in Jumagachh area of Fulbari border outpost on the fringes of Siliguri, where he interacted with the paramilitary personnel, visited a watch tower next to the fences and planted a sapling. The Union minister, who arrived on Friday evening in Bagdogra on a three-day visit to the state – his second this month and his first to north Bengal since the assembly elections – attended the Prahari Sammelan of the BSF and interacted with the troops. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Senior bureaucrats and police officers, including Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, BSF DG Praveen Kumar, NIA DG Rakesh Agarwal, state DGP Siddh Nath Gupta, North Bengal IG Sukesh Jain and the joint director of Intelligence Bureau, were also present, sources said. “The Union Home Minister inspected the infrared alarm system installed to secure difficult terrains, such as areas with rivers and streams, or gaps in the border fencing; this system provides advance warning to the troops whenever the infrared beams are interrupted. Shri Amit Shah also reviewed the gate management system designed to facilitate safe and smooth movement for civilians and farmers along the India-Bangladesh border,” the statement said. Speaking during the event, Shah asserted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre is committed to making the country's borders impregnable. “The Modi government is establishing a quadrangular security grid to fortify the borders,” he said, emphasising that the welfare of security personnel guarding the nation's borders and their families is a top priority for the government. “We are working towards making the national boundary completely secure and preventing infiltration by initiating the concept of 'Smart Borders',” he said. Shah’s visit assumed added significance in the wake of increased focus on security provisions along the ‘chicken’s neck’, formally known as the Siliguri Corridor, a vital 17-22 km wide land strip, which serves as the only terrestrial link between mainland India and its eight northeastern states, and is of critical importance to border security. The corridor is wedged between three international borders – Nepal to the north, Bangladesh to the south, and Bhutan to the northeast – and is not far from China. Recently, the newly elected Suvendu Adhikari government in the state transferred 120 acres of land to the BSF for border fencing in the region, and handed over the management of seven crucial highways in this area, previously managed under the National Highways wing of the state's Public Works Department (PWD), to the Centre. Later, Shah also chaired a series of coordination meetings between officials of the state government and the central security forces on border management and other administrative issues, including the implementation of the new criminal laws in West Bengal and birth and death registration at ‘Uttarkanya’, the North Bengal branch of the secretariat. Sources said that Shah stressed on completing the task of border fencing to curb infiltration, including setting up three-tier fencing in disturbed areas, within a stipulated deadline and getting in modern equipment to get the job done, if required. The Home Minister, they added, also discussed the details of securing the ‘chicken’s neck’, given the region’s geo-political sensitivity. Shah is scheduled to reach Kolkata on Saturday evening to attend multiple programmes on Sunday, besides chairing a high-level meeting over the law and order situation in the state. PTI SMY NSD SMY RBT