CHANDIGARH: From mid-October, all trucks from Pakistan entering India via the Attari-Wagah border will be scanned in the country’s first Full Body Truck Scanner (FBTS) at the Integrated Check Post (ICP).
The Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) will be stalling the scanner, measuring 32 ft x 15 ft, will be imported from the US. The scanner will be kept in an enclosed structure with thick walls in compliance with the recommendations of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
The Centre is spending Rs 23 crore to put in place the powerful scanner that will search for contraband items such as drugs and weapons. Also, 108 high-definition CCTVs are being installed at the 130-acre ICP at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Paver blocks have been installed in 13,000 square feet of area for concretising this open perch for keeping gypsum, cement, soda ash and dry fruit. Two sheds covering 10,000 sq ft of area have already come up.
Rough estimates suggest that 130 trucks cross border to and from Pakistan daily through this border the Attari-Wagah border. Currently, trucks are checked manually which is a tedious process. Besides Attari, these full body truck scanners will also be installed at Petrapole on the India-Bangladesh border, Raxaul on the India-Nepal border, Uri-Salambad and Poonch-Chakan Da Bagh in Jammu and Kashmir. “The project was to be completed by September but was delayed due to rains,” an official said.