Intensify vigil along Pakistan and Bangladesh borders to ensure no cross border movement takes place: MHA tells BSF

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Amit Shah has directed the Border Security Force (BSF) to intensify the vigil along the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, especially along the unfenced area, to ensure that no cross border movement is allowed. Shah had reviewed border guarding arrangements, at India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, with BSF Command and Sector Headquarters through video-conferencing on Thursday.

The Home Minister further directed that farmers in the border areas must be educated about coronavirus COVID-19 and the preventive measures to be taken to contain its spread in these areas. Also, in coordination with district administration, the BSF must ensure that the people do not venture across the border fence inadvertently. 

Shah praised the good work done by the BSF formations amidst COVID-19 outbreak. During the lockdown, BSF formations have focused their energy towards awareness campaigns, as per the guidelines of Ministry of Health; sanitization efforts, wherever possible in the villages; providing face masks and soaps for hand wash; and providing ration, potable water and medical facilities to the needy, including remote villages, migratory labourers, daily wage earners and stranded truck drivers in border areas.

In the review meeting, Ministers of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai, along with Union Home Secretary, Secretary (Border Management) and DG, BSF were also present.

The BSF troops formation has also been taking active participation in Jammu and Kashmir to help the locals. The BSF has reached out to the villages in a bid to help them fight coronavirus. "Our units under 183 battalion deployed at Poonch area are providing free rations, medicines and masks to the locals. We have communicated to villages that those who have returned back to the area should self-quarantine for at least three weeks," said a BSF official.

The BSF is deployed on the borders of Pakistan and Bangladesh for more than 6,200 km. At the borders, the operational activities have not seized rather the vigil has been enhanced to prevent any mischief of trans-border criminals. "There are some seizures of contraband items on eastern and western borders during this lockdown period. We have enhanced our vigil to prevent any mischief of trans-border criminals," said one official.

In areas like Punjab and Jammu, migratory labours were stuck during the lockdown. On the eastern front on ICP Petrapol, truck drivers got stranded. Similarly in many areas, in the border belt, there were many daily wage earners. They were identified and provided with necessary rations. 

The BSF has asked its personnel to remain ''wherever they are'', saying that there would be no movement before April 21 amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country. The BSF has issued an alert in which it said that there would be no movement before April 21 as part of the precautionary measures put in place due to coronavirus pandemic.

Instructions have been issued to all formations of BSF that leave of those who are already on leave be extended till April 21 and also for those who are due to join in April. Similar instructions have also been issued for the training centres where training programs were already running.