Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Aug 28: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today discussed various infrastructure projects in border areas, including a strategic road in Ladakh, officials said.
In the meeting with Ministry officials, he discussed the progress of various infrastructure projects in border areas, including a stand-alone road from Marsimik La to Hot Spring in Ladakh.
The road has been given to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction and it will ensure access to “vantage points” for security forces, the officials said.
Other projects which came up for discussions included forward area roads in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, they said.
Rajnath also reviewed progress of infrastructure projects in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and other States with focus on the projects falling along Pakistan and China borders.
Sources told the Excelsior that top officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs including Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, his successor Rajiv Gauba, Additional Secretary MHA BR Sharma and senior officers of Border Security Force (BSF), Border Roads Organization (BRO) and heads of various other agencies engaged with execution of works in the border areas.
Sources said: “notwithstanding the resolution to Dokalam standoff between India and China at Sikkim today after withdrawal of troops by both the countries, India has decided to go ahead with development of its infrastructure along Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. However, the major focus remains on erection of modernized fencing and installation of sophisticated equipments on International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Sources said the Union Home Minister is understood to have directed the top brass of various security agencies for regular monitoring of infrastructure development projects in the border areas and ensure that they meet the deadline keeping in view the security interests of the country.
Sources added that the Union Home Ministry has launched series of infrastructure development projects in four States having boundaries with Pakistan including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat and five States, which have un-demarcated LAC with China including J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to sources, troops were facing major problems due to lack of adequate infrastructure along LAC with China. While China has connected the LAC with rail and road links, India was lagging far behind till Narendra Modi took various initiatives to speed up the road and rail connectivity, apart from other projects, necessary from defence point of view.
“Now the focus has shifted to speed up the works,” sources said and pointed out that only few days back the Defence Minister had given massive financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation with a view to save time consumed in giving sanction for infrastructure development projects.
According to sources, the Home Ministry is reported to have directed for expediting works along the International Border with Pakistan in Jammu sector including installation of modernized fencing, the trial for which was already going on at two places and other sophisticated equipments, which were capable of detecting the infiltration attempts by the militants from Pakistan side.
Describing the project of fencing and latest gadgetry as very ambitious, sources said they would go long way in curbing infiltration attempts by the militants along the International Border. Though the intrusion bids have already reduced drastically, sources said the latest technology fencing and equipments were capable of putting a complete end to the intrusions.
Sources said two pilot projects of modernized fencing have been taken up in Jammu sector. Once they were completed and declared successful, the Union Home Ministry proposed to take up the projects along entire 198-kilometers long International Boundary from Lakhanpur to Akhnoor in Jammu region.
Similarly, they said, different kind of projects were also proposed along International Border with Pakistan in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat and LAC with China in five States.
On China borders, the Centre proposed to link Border Out Posts with road network and main stations with train though, the sources admitted, that it was very time consuming process in view of difficult terrain along LAC with China in all five States.
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