Amit Shah visits border areas in Kutch, lays foundation for BSF’s mooring place

The mooring place will include administrative building, officer mess, canteen, parade ground, training centre and a workshop for watercraft and floating BOPs operated by BSF in Sir Creek. Each floating BOP can accompany around 30 personnel and carry a host of surveillance equipment.

Shah also inaugurated one of the permanent observation posts or OP towers near Sir Creek. This will help BSF provide a round-the-clock vigil in Harami Nala, from where a high number of Pakistani fishermen cross the border.

Shah said seven OP towers will be built in the area, including three in Sir Creek and four in Harami Nala.

The OP tower near border pillar number 1164 at Harami Nala will help increase security in the area. The tower, built at a cost of Rs 3 crore, is about 9.5 m high and has a provision for 8 to 10 jawans to reside. The tower also has high resolution PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras, which are pointed towards Pakistan and can capture the smallest movements happening across the border.

Shah said seven OP towers will be built in the area, including three in Sir Creek and four in Harami Nala.

He also inaugurated the 28.2-km long Chidiya Mod-Biarbet Link Road built at a cost of Rs 106 crore. This “strategic road” road will connect the border road running along the international border with Pakistan and help in the quick movement of security personnel and logistics. “The three infrastructure projects will help increase the security of the area,” Shah said.

“When Partition happened, BSF was given the charge of guarding Pakistan and Bangladesh borders. Whomsoever took the decision would have done so after a lot of thought, as it is only BSF, which is nimble and able enough to guard both the borders. From all CAPFs (central armed police forces), it is only BSF that has the expertise to guard land and water borders and also has a air wing,” Shah said, adding that BSF guards areas that have temperatures ranging from -43 degrees Celsius to 43 degree Celsius.

Shah later visited the Creek and Harami Nalah areas and reviewed facilities. In 2.5 years since 2021, BSF in Gujarat have killed two Pakistani smugglers on international border in Barmer Sector, apprehended nine Pakistani Nationals, four Bangladeshi Nationals and five others nationals in border area. A total of 25 Pakistani fishermen were apprehended and 81 Pakistani fishing boats were seized in Creek and Harami Nalla areas during this period in Kutch. BSF Gujarat has also recovered 119 kilograms of Heroin, 130 kilograms of Charas, 3 kilograms of Amphetamine and 160 kilograms of Doda-Posht. These have a total value of Rs 600 crore.