Electric fencing for 195 km of International Border

This stretch of border from Palanwala in Chamb sector to Madhopur on the J&K-Punjab border, official sources said, was prone to be "most used" by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for its "high voltage infiltration".

Officials said they expect that the Rs 28 crore project which has been accorded top-most priority by the Home and Defence ministries was unlikely to have a smooth sailing as Pakistani forces have been very active in the region.

Last year alone, according to figures placed in the Parliament, as many as 2,896 firing incidents were reported in the region and in the first two months of the year, 400 incidents were reported, indicating that the fencing work would face heavy disruption from across the border.

The Government has set a target of three years for the project, which when completed would add up to 1,682 km of electrified International Border between Pakistan and India.

This includes 1,035 km in Rajasthan and 452 km in Punjab. The authorities, however, left 132 km stretch mostly in Rajasthan unfenced due to difficult riverine area and shifting sand dunes.

Officials said the Government has also approved a comprehensive proposal for construction of fencing and flood lighting on raised embankments, border roads, link roads and border outposts in 310 km of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 380 crore.

They said that top priority was being given to the Jammu project, keeping in view recent spate of bomb attacks on trains passing through Jammu-Pathankot sector, where in places like Bari-Brahmana, Kanachak, Vijaychak, Samba and Kathua, the Pakistan border is just few kms away.

According to official figures, at least ten major train bomb blasts have been reported in this sector during the last three years. Besides, infiltrators from Pakistan have been bringing in heavy quantities of RDX from this area to carry out blasts in cars and buses, as well as for use in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on security patrols.

The terrain in the area is extremely flat and the need for electrified fencing is more necessary in view of proximity of populated areas to the border, which makes it much easier to carry out infiltrations, security experts said.

The intelligence agencies had recommended fencing of this sector in the early 1990s. However, the Government then had decided to accord higher priority to the Rajasthan sector.

Intelligence agencies have warned that the proximity of this stretch to the Pakistan border makes it vulnerable to "attack and hold" raids by larger groups of Pakistani mercenaries.

With this threat in mind, the Government has recently armed most of the border villages by forming civilian volunteer forces to confront Pakistani militants.