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security India has decided to fortify its border structures in J&K by building a 179-km embankment. While the Home Ministry and BSF are gung ho about an impregnable all-weather barrier aimed at achieving zero infiltration, the Army is sceptical about its feasibility. By Ravi Krishnan Khajuria In a better late than never act, New Delhi has decided to shore up its existing anti-infiltration obstacle system (AIOS) along the 198-km International Border and 744-km Line of Control (LoC) to ward off terrorists and secure the populace living close to the frontiers of the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Purpose not clear: Army |
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Pak warns against construction within 500 m of border
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Border bundh rising, as are stakes India has decided to fortify its border structures in J&K by building a 179-km embankment. While the Home Ministry and BSF are gung ho about an impregnable all-weather barrier aimed at achieving zero infiltration, the Army is sceptical about its feasibility. By Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
In
a better late than never act, New Delhi has decided to shore up its existing anti-infiltration obstacle system (AIOS) along the 198-km International Border and 744-km Line of Control (LoC) to ward off terrorists and secure the populace living close to the frontiers of the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir. While Pakistan had raised an embankment after the mutually brokered ceasefire agreement in 2002 on its side of the International Border running from Paharpur on Kathua-Punjab border to Akhnoor, north of Jammu, India has only now woken up to the need for such an embankment. Pakistan not only raised a 100-150 metre bundh inside its territory from Zero Line, but also planted trees which block the vision of the BSF. Pakistan Rangers have also fortified the bundh with bunkers, from where they carry out sniper fire with silencer-fitted guns. The 135-ft-wide and 179-km-long embankment on the Indian side would be an amalgamation of the existing structure on the International Border, including cattle fence, border fence, floodlights and earthen mounds. Under the proposed embankment, cattle fence, border fence and floodlights would remain, but mounds would take the shape of an embankment. Behind it, a road would come up parallel to the border from Paharpur to the Chicken Neck area of Akhnoor, connecting BSF posts. The marshy land and rivulets would be covered with culverts, causeways and bridges. A communication network connecting all posts would also come up. The 10-metre-high embankment would also act as a major hurdle for the enemy during war time. Though the project was conceived in 2005 and the central public works department would execute it, the land acquisition process has not picked up the desired momentum. The work has not started yet, but once it does, the BSF would provide security to the executing agency. Border management While BSF has the operational responsibility of the International Border, the Army guards the LoC in the restive state. The BSF’s border management mechanism works on four ‘Ds’— deterrent, detection, delay and destruction. Deterrents in the form of anti-infiltration obstacle system in place (including electric live wires, sensors, foot patrols); detection of movement by surveillance devices; delaying intrusion attempts by engaging intruders in gunfight; and destroying them if the need arises. The BSF is the first line of defence at the International Border. The Army has a miniscule presence while Village Defence Committees have been given vintage weapons in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. Intelligence inputs form a major component of border guarding. But during monsoon, the two major components of border management — deterrent and detection — are hit due to wild growth, especially sarkanda. “The BSF is exposed to enemy fire. It is tough to be on guard at night and remove sarkanda during the day. The maintenance of the border infrastructure is routine for the force but additional funds would enable it to hire labour and get the wild growth removed,” says a source. “The Rangers take advantage of the wild growth and target our men while trying to push terrorists to this side,” he says. The LoC is one of the most difficult terrains in the world that witnesses heavy snowfall and avalanches during winter and landslides and floods during monsoon. While rivers and rivulets are natural obstacles for the enemy, these are ideal routes for infiltrators. Ditch-cum-bundhs in some areas of the LoC are primarily an anti-tank obstacle. Anti-infiltration system The LoC is guarded by the Army with the assistance of the BSF and Rashtriya Rifles. Pakistan’s Border Action Team attacks and explosives planted by it inside the Indian territory are a big challenge. Besides mine fields and dry ditches that are filled with water during contingencies, the LoC has ‘bundhs’ to prevent flooding of Army posts and villages during monsoon. The anti-infiltration obstacle system (AIOS), running 500 metres to 1.5 km from Zero Line, is very effective. The AIOS consists of 10 to 12-ft-high and 6 to 7-ft-wide mesh of concertina wire fence in the hilly terrain followed by floodlights and round-the-clock foot patrolling. However, the possibilities of infiltrators in groups of twos and threes using wire cutters and ladders or explosives to breach the fence, and digging tunnels beneath the fence can’t be ruled out. The Army set up the AIOS after studying various models across the world. Pakistan has no AIOS in place as it sends terrorists to the Indian side. However, the AIOS — constructed at a staggering cost of Rs 8 crore a kilometre — gets buried under snow in winter, making it easier for infiltrators to walk over it and sneak into India. When the snow melts, the damaged stretches have to be guarded round the clock till they are repaired. The Army relies on UAVs, night-vision devices, thermal imagers, sensors and a host of other devices to keep vigil. Fenced in While the Army, which has no update on the project, is sceptical on the technology that would be used to raise an all-weather fence, the Union Home Ministry has decided to ascertain the feasibility of erecting a permanent fence that can withstand heavy snowfall. It has roped in experts on the fence, the brainchild of state DGP Ashok Prasad. “Even if such a technology is available, it would be a very costly affair. It would be difficult to raise an impregnable fence,” says a top Army source. “The LoC under the responsibility of Srinagar-based 15 Corps and Nagrota-based 16 Crops was fenced in 2004. Some stretches had to be left out since a fence could not come up there,” he says. Every year, nearly 83 km of the fence along the de-facto border, especially in Gurez, Karnah, Kupwara and Gulmarg sectors, gets damaged. “A ministry team was shown pillars along the Gandola cable car in Gulmarg which can withstand all-weather conditions. An opinion was given to have a similar mechanism along the LoC. But the Army had reservations,” the officer says. The DGP had told The Tribune last year that the Centre was thinking of setting up a group of engineers to look into its feasibility. “The fence is there, we are not going to build anything new. We have to see how it can be strengthened and strategically relocated. An article on floating fence anchored by submerged metallic meshes in the Rann of Kutch drew my attention. If we can think of a fence that can work in water, we can construct a fence in any terrain,” he had said. SS Tomar, IG, BSF Jammu, says the embankment would help BSF give more confidence to the locals.
Land acquisition on The state government has started the land acquisition process in 118 villages in districts of Kathua, Samba and Jammu. Samba: Deputy Commissioner RK Verma says the acquisition process is at an advanced stage in 27 villages, though they are facing minor problems in two villages. Kathua: Out of 17 villages, revenue papers of 16 villages have been prepared, as per Deputy Commissioner Jatinder Kumar Singh. Jammu: Deputy Commissioner AK Sahu says out of 72 villages in the district, revenue survey is nearly complete in all villages except three or four villages.
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Purpose not clear: Army The
BSF’s plan for an embankment straddling the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir could actually be replicating the work of the Army that already has a similar defensive embankment running close to the International Border in the state. The Army’s earthen embankment called the ditch-cum-bundh (DCB) is a ‘man-made’ obstacle that can prevent the advance of an incoming enemy while providing a good defensive position. It has inbuilt embedded concrete structures to protect troops from artillery fire and rocket launchers. The responsibility of securing the entire 198-km segment of the International Border is with the BSF. The Army is at the back-end for any conventional war. “Baring small stretches, the Army’s embankment is in almost all segments of the International Border, west of Jammu,” says a senior Army officer. Explaining the gaps, he says the left-out portions are part of the war-planning effort in case of an exigency. The embankment’s location varies. It is not aligned to the border but takes into account other natural obstacles like rivers that meander down the Himalayas, marshes and hillocks. It could be located 2 km from the border at one spot and 8 km at another. The location varies as per the planning of a conventional war scenario. Lt-Gen (retd) Mukesh Sabherwal, who has served in the state as General Officer Commanding (GOC), says: “It is still not clear what the BSF wants from this. Is it an anti-infiltration obstacle and how different is it from the one the Army has? The Army has its embankment for defensive holding purposes.” Media reports (quoting DG BSF Subhash Joshi) were not elucidatory enough on the location of the proposed new ‘wall’ and its purpose, he said. Similar earthen embankments of the Army, with a ‘kutcha’ patrol track on top and embedded concrete structures for troops to take positions, exist along the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab and several locations in Rajasthan. As per the BSF’s statement, the embankment will lie behind the existing border fence. It intends to inform Pakistan Rangers before starting the project.
Border truths
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Pak warns against construction within 500 m of border India
has been toying with the idea of constructing an embankment along the International Border for quite some time. The proposal is now being given a concrete shape in view of the far-reaching changes likely to be witnessed in the security environment in the region in the coming months. But India is not the only neighbour of Pakistan which is constructing a ‘wall’ along the border. Iran is building a concrete wall, fortified with steel rods, on its border with Pakistan. Iran has spent millions of dollars on the wall to check drug trafficking, illegal border crossings and violence by Sunni militants. But Pakistan is not complaining since it has no border dispute with Iran. However, Islamabad has a huge problem with India undertaking such an activity, given the accident-prone nature of relations between the two nations. Protest rallies are being organised at the behest of Islamabad in cities like Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, against the embankment move. Pakistan has drawn New Delhi's attention to what it called an 'understanding' between the two nations that there should be no major construction within 500 metres on either side of the border. However, India is quite determined to do whatever is necessary to protect its citizens. Indian officials say the step is being taken to check infiltration from across the border. The proposal to build the embankment was apparently given the final go-ahead after militants crossed the International Border in Jammu and made two daring attacks on police and Army posts in Samba district on the eve of a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York in September. Over the years, the Indian authorities have noticed that infiltration increases as soon as snow melts in higher reaches along the border. Another major reason for constructing the embankment is India's apprehension about the situation evolving in the region after NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014. The government is believed to have clearly told security agencies that they need to pull up their socks since 'jehadi' elements in Afghanistan and Pakistan could intensify their activities, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, once they have seen the back of foreign troops in Afghanistan. India is also well aware that militant groups in Pakistan could attempt to disrupt the Lok Sabha elections in May. Hence, the measure is also based on perceived threat from these groups.
The trigger
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The embankment 
