CHENNAI: A subsidiary of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) has tied up with India- based Core Energy Systems with an eye on implementing Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) along the 2,900km India-Pakistan border.
CIBMS is an integration of a number of gadgets and technologies to ensure electronic surveillance of borders. It uses technology driven by sensors to detect any form of movement in water, on land and in air. The contract was signed by Vadim Pervuninskikh, director of NIKIRET (branch of production company ‘Start’ named after MV Protsenko, a subsidiary of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation) and Nagesh Basarkar, Chairman & MD of CORE Energy Systems.
Basarkar said that Core is vying for a share in CIBMS once the Centre finishes the two pilot projects of 5.5km and 5.3km stretches along the border in Jammu, which are likely to be completed in the next two months by Tata Power’s Strategic Engineering Division and Slovenian firm Dat Con. “The bids could be opened up in October once the pilot project is completed to fence the entire border of 2,900km. We have procured sensors from Rosatom subsidiary,” said Basarkar.
The use of CIBMS was being considered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since 2012 when it released an Expression of Interest (EoI) for CIBMS. In 2014, the BSF also submitted a detailed report on CIBMS to MHA, but no decision was taken until January 2016.
The pressure for implementing CIBMS was mounted after the Pathankot terrorist attack in 2016 and the subsequent order by the division bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Basarkar told Express that NIKIRET was providing the technology to Russia to protect its nuclear installations and other technology of national importance. The technical equipment uses sensors, detectors, cameras, ground-based radar systems, micro-aerostats, lasers as well as existing equipment for round-the-clock surveillance. The purpose of CIBMS is to eventually replace manual surveillance of international borders by electronic surveillance.