A bullet-proof bulldozer may in itself be an oddity, but what do you make of an airconditioned one! The BSF has asked for these special bulldozers to carry out fencing along the 187-km long international border in Jammu. Pakistani firing has brought the fencing project to a halt. The project is crucial to prevent infiltration and hence the special interest shown by DG BSF Gurbachan Jagat and IG BSF, Jammu, Dilip Trivedi. The bulldozers need to be bullet-proof for carrying out digging, levelling and building of bunds amid Pakistani firing. ‘‘In this heat, the temperature inside the bullet-proof cabin rises to 50 degrees Celsius. The drivers have to open the window, inviting Pakistani fire. Therefore, we are installing powerful car air-conditioners in the bulldozers,’’ Trivedi told The Indian Express. The BSF is erecting a 10-foot-high two-layer barbed wire fence along the border in the Jammu sector. The Central Public Works Department had the fencing contract but the non-stop Pakistani firing scared them off. Finally, the BSF had to move in. It also proposes to install floodlights on the entire border. At present, powerful generators are being used to light up the border at night to prevent infiltration. ‘‘We had to make 12-foot-high bunds short of the zero line and then build the fence behind it — the bullets get embedded in the bund. The fencing work is on in all the seven battalion areas along the IB,’’ Trivedi added. Work goes on at night. So far about 40 kilometres have been fenced, particulary areas where infiltration is high. The concrete floor of the fence is fabricated at BSF’s Paloura headquarters and then carried to the zero line. The fencing work has been severely crippled due to the Pakistani firing in the Hiranagar-Samba-R S Pura belt. In fact, now there is mortar fire, and and even infantry support weapons like rocket launchers and grenade launchers are being used to prevent the fencing project.
