NEW DELHI: Amid recent spurt in terror violence in Jammu region, the government has decided to upgrade infrastructure near border fencing along the frontiers with Pakistan with a plan to build bulletproof posts for the security forces to monitor infiltration, officials said on Sunday.
The officials said along with the proposals for Jammu & Kashmir, various border projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab were also discussed in a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
It is also learnt from sources that reports of a hydrological and reconnaissance survey were presented before the committee to indicate various design parameters for preliminary estimates of the proposed projects.
The sources said, with a view to improve access to the border areas it was decided to approve development projects across various rivers close to the India-Pakistan border with an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
While sharing further details regarding the decisions taken at the high-level meeting, the officials said the number of border posts along western frontiers would be increased and a few of them, considered more prone to infiltration, would be bulletproofed.
The decision to build bullet-proof posts was taken in the backdrop of recent unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Rangers in which a BSF jawan was injured, the sources said, adding that such sentry posts would help the force prevent casualties.
Noting that projects in Samba, Indereshwar Nagar and Kathua have been cleared, a source said, “A proposal for the construction of roads from Border Out Posts (BOPs) to the fence along the Indo-Pakistan border in the Jammu sector across various districts including Kathua and Samba sectors, which are infiltration prone areas, have been approved.”
This year, Rajouri and Poonch have witnessed multiple terror attacks on the Army and civilians. These attacks have shown a change in the strategy of terrorists in targeting Indians. In view of these attacks, these projects have been cleared.
More to these, the Committee has also cleared projects in different locations in the Ferozepur and Abohar sectors of Punjab along India-Pakistan borders. Armored cables will be used with high-quality lighting along the Indo-Pakistan border. New high powered LED lights will be brought for night checking. In Rajasthan, over Rs 500 crore will be allocated for fencing and walls with a new layered design.