Things to know about India’s first ‘smart fence’ project along the International Border in Jammu

Published On: September 17, 2018

The much awaited Smart Fence Pilot Project was on Monday inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here at BSF Headquarters, Ploura, Jammu.

The country’s first ‘smart fence’ pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along Indo-Pak border in Jammu.

Here are things to know about India’s first ‘smart fence’ project along the International Border in Jammu :

The initiative is part of the comprehensive integrated border management system (CIBMS) proposed to be deployed at borders by the Modi government as part of its decision to completely seal the borders to stop infiltration and illegal migration.
The pilot phase of two projects, each covering a 5.5 km-border stretch along the International Border in Jammu, are set to get a first-of-a-kind high-tech surveillance system that will create an invisible electronic barrier on land, water and even in air and underground, helping the Border Security Force (BSF) detect and foil infiltration bids in the most difficult terrains.Read also: Ceasefire violations and effects on civilians in border areas of Jammu
CIBMS involves deployment of a range of state-of-the-art surveillance technologies — thermal imagers, infra-red and laser-based intruder alarms that form an invisible land fence, aerostats for aerial surveillance, unattended ground sensors that can help detect intrusion bids through tunnels, radars, sonar systems to secure riverine borders, fiber optic sensors and a command and control system that shall receive data from all surveillance device in real time.
The CIBMS is designed to guard stretches where physical surveillance is not possible either due to inhospitable terrain or riverine borders.
BSF has constructed three pilot projects of smart fencing along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. Smart fencing on pilot project has been constructed at three places along the International Border using latest techniques and gadgetry. The pilot project is also proposed to be extended along 198-kms of the border, from Lakhanpur to Akhnoor, once proved successful.