The Centre has given a go-ahead to the recommendations of a committee, which suggested upgrading fencing and other security infrastructure in “vulnerable” stretches along the India-Pakistan border amid a surge in militant attacks in Jammu, sources said on Sunday.
A security official attached to the Union home ministry said the committee was recently set up to determine the efficacy of structures guarding the border that runs through Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu in checking infiltration.
“The government has given go ahead to the committee’s recommendation, which has suggested that the government should focus on Jammu, which has become the new infiltration zone along the India-Pakistan border. The committee has said that the fencing also needs to be upgraded with modern technological tools in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat to make the frontier impregnable,” the security official told The Telegraph.
Sources in the security establishment said officials found at least 15-20 vulnerable points in Jammu. “They also suggested an upgrade of technology for better upkeep of fencing as over the years the maintenance work had been neglected,” said an official of the border management wing of the home ministry.
Sources said security officials have also suggested strengthening round-the-clock surveillance and patrolling on the borders besides using hand-held thermal imager, unmanned aerial vehicles and upgrading the intelligence set-up.