Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh on Wednesday said the illegal activity of drones along the western front (Pakistan) remains a “major challenge” as the force “does not” have a fool-proof system to counter the menace.
He, however, said the Government has sanctioned a fund of `30 crore to procure surveillance cameras, drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other monitoring gadgets for the BSF deployed to guard Indian frontiers along Pakistan and Bangladesh even as it is deploying 5,500 security cameras in the front areas.
“… we will find solutions in the times to come and we are increasingly detecting and killing the drones,” Singh said while addressing media on the eve of 58th Raising Day of BSF.
“We have launched to enhance the surveillance in border areas on a very big scale. This entails use of surveillance cameras and drones on the western and eastern theatres (Pakistan and Bangladesh fronts respectively). We have got around 5,500 CCTV surveillance cameras and some other gadgets and the Union Home Ministry has sanctioned a `30 crore fund for this procurement,” he said.
The BSF has also developed some “low-cost technology solutions” that help us to mount effective surveillance in the border areas. Similar tools provided by foreign vendors were found very costly and hence we have now developed locally low-cost sensors and surveillance devices, he said.
The DG said the troops were getting “more and more” efficient in detecting and shooting down drones that fly from across Pakistan into India. The BSF has shot down 16 drones along the Pakistan front this year, he said. According to the BSF, 114 drone sightings were made by its troops along the Pakistan front (both IB and LoC) last year while the numbers this year till November 10 have risen to almost double at 218.
The BSF chief said ensuring robust cyber security was also a “major challenge” before security agencies like the BSF as he cited the recent example of the Ransomware attack on the servers of the AIIMS here.
“Now with 5G technology coming up, we need to be prepared to ensure that our systems are safe,” he said.
The BSF secures the India-Pakistan international border running from Jammu to Punjab and further up to Rajasthan and Gujarat. It works under the operational command of the Army at the Line of Control. It also guards the frontiers with Bangladesh.
Talking about instances of infiltration by terrorists from the Pakistan side into India, the DG said, “We will definitely not say that it is not possible (infiltration from Pak border) but we make all efforts to ensure that no terrorist can breach the border.”