No demographic change through borders: Shah links frontier safety to 2047 vision

Guwahati: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday visited the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura and delivered a blunt message that the Centre will not allow demographic change through India’s borders and will rely on fencing and technology-led surveillance to tighten frontier management.Shah went to Tripura after touring the western frontier in Rajasthan and Gujarat.“Whether it is Tripura, whether it is West Bengal, whether it is Bihar, we will not allow demographic change through the border. This is our firm belief and also a firm resolve. To stop the change of demography, fencing has been installed,” he said, while addressing BSF personnel at the Lankamura Border Outpost in TripuraShah added that fencing has been installed to prevent demographic change and signalled a broader push to modernise border management along the Bangladesh frontier. He is likely to visit the border in West Bengal on June 15.Shah, who was accompanied by director of IB, Tapan Deka, said for BSF, which is responsible for the security of extensive borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan, “each border has a different type of challenge. Somewhere there is the drug trade, somewhere there is the issue of human trafficking, somewhere there is the issue of arms smuggling, somewhere drug trafficking and counterfeit currency trafficking take place through drugs transportation using drones.”“We have decided that wherever the BSF is, wherever the SSB is, we have decided to develop smart borders under a quadrilateral security strategy to make borders impregnable by integrating local administration, technology, and the dedication of security personnel,” he said.He added that the concept of smart borders is in its final stage and a pilot project will be launched soon at seven or eight locations across different borders of the country simultaneously. “Any initial challenges encountered during the project will be addressed, after which the initiative will be scaled up to cover the entire border network,” Shah said.He added that the Tripura Frontier is very important for the security of the country’s borders and a sensitive state surrounded by borders on three sides. He added that for the modernization of the border fencing in the state, “we have also approved the installation of 119 kilometers of new fencing to replace a portion of the approximately 650 kilometers of fencing that is over 15 years old.”Shah reminded that the Prime Minister has set a goal before all people of the country that by 2047, this country has to be made a fully developed country.“If by 2047 this country has to be made a fully developed, then the biggest necessity is that the country should first be made a secure country. When I say a secure country, I do not talk about there being very big threats from any open kind of war. But can we make the country secure from smuggling, can we make it secure from human trafficking, can we make the country’s youth secure from drugs, can we save the country’s economy from the trade of fake currency?,” Shah saidHe emphasized that the Centre has undertaken the task of building a smart security grid that ensures security across all these domains and there is a now need to transform the entire concept of border fencing and our work culture.He said that the concept of smart fencing and a quadrilateral security grid is being integrated into the work culture of all Central Armed Police Forces responsible for border security in the coming days.He further said that several projects aimed at improving facilities for personnel at border outposts-such as electricity supply, green energy initiatives, and safe drinking water—have not only been initiated but also completed.Shah also e-inaugurated personnel accommodation at the 37th Battalion of BSF and laid e-foundation of the Quarter Guard complex at the 97th Battalion of BSF.