Rediff On The NeT: No cause for alarm over Indo-Pak border fencing gaps: BSF

No cause for alarm over Indo-Pak border fencing gaps: BSF

There is no cause for alarm over Islamabad's attempts to infiltrate men and materials through gaps created in the security fence on the Indo-Pak border.

The gaps, created by floods along the Punjab border this year, had been plugged and repaired.

Disclosing this, a Border Security Force spokesman said only three of the 29 gaps of varying length along the 553-km border are yet to be plugged. The three spots are adequately guarded as the water level has started receding.

Of the 553-km border with Pakistan, nearly 450 km had been fenced. The unfenced area includes natural riverine gaps of about 26.6 km spread over several places, and it is under continuous surveillance, including motor boat patrolling.

As for the gaps created by the flood fury, the spokesman said it has become an annual feature. Three years ago, nearly 5.7 km of security fence was washed away and another 2.23 km damaged, causing a loss of about Rs 10 million. Similarly, 55 poles of flood lights were washed away and six damaged, resulting in a loss of about Rs 1 million.

Commenting on the farmers's difficulties in cultivating their land lying between the fence and international border, the spokesman said, ''Of the 338 fencing gates set up along the border, as many as 280 were operational to facilitate farming operations during controlled hours every day. These gates were opened an hour after sunrise and shut at 1800 hrs daily.''

The spokesman said that 15 intruders were killed and 31 others arrested along the Punjab border this year. Significantly, most of the 31 arrested Pakistani nationals were young and most of those killed had tried to ingress by breaching the security fence, he added.

UNI

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