NEW DELHI: A dozen ‘laser walls’ have been made operational along the India-Pakistan international border in Punjab to plug the porous riverine and treacherous terrain and keep an effective vigil against possible intruders, according to an Indian security official.

While eight infrared and laser beam intrusion detection systems were “up and working” along as many vulnerable and sensitive areas along the international border (IB) in Punjab, four more would be made operational in the next few days, a senior official of the Border Security Force (BSF) said.

The ‘laser walls’ are being monitored by the BSF which guards areas along the Line of Control in Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The decision to install the ‘laser walls’ was taken by the BSF two years ago keeping in mind vulnerability of the areas where barbed wire fencing could not be installed due to treacherous terrain or marshy riverine topography.

After the Pathankot attack, Union home ministry and BSF sped up the deployment and activation of the walls along the long and winding border, said the official. A total of 45 such ‘laser walls’ would be installed in areas along the international border in Punjab and Jammu, a blueprint prepared in this regard and accessed by PTI showed.

According to the blueprint, the BSF along with a team of technical experts will be conducting a pilot project for deploying ‘technological solutions’ for effective border monitoring at two ‘sensitive’ riverine stretches in Jammu sector which entails deployment of smart sensors to pick up movements along the border.

“The laser walls have started working and their functioning is being monitored. Preliminary results in detecting illegal movements are encouraging,” the official said. He said sensors were being monitored through a satellite-based signal command system and armed with night and fog operability tools.

Four other pilot projects of similar nature in stretches of 30-40km of border in Jammu and Gujarat and one in West Bengal along the Indo-Bangla border have been approved by the home ministry to secure borders effectively. “Work on them will begin by next month,” he said.

The BSF is also considering deploying at least four more battalions in Punjab and Jammu border areas as a second-tier of defence after withdrawing these units from the Line of Control.

By arrangement with the Times of India

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2016