BSF pilot projects to test border guarding technologies

JAMMU: Set to guard the International Border (IB) more through "technology and equipment", BSF is running two pilot projects to test global technologies and equipment in these projects for their implementation on the ground.

"We are running a pilot project and suitable technologies and equipments will tested during pilot project for its implementation on the ground. There are 2 pilot projects of 5 kilometres each," BSF Director General K K Sharma told PTI.

The mega projects to conduct trials of these equipments will conclude by the year end.

BSF DG who visited the border with Pakistan to celebrate Republic Day with troops, said "By the end of this year both pilot projects would be complete".

"We are in the process of running a pilot project, where we are going to try out latest technologies and latest equipments delivered all over the world. Initially it will be for vulnerable places and important places and later it will be replicated on entire border with Pakistan and ultimately Bangladesh also," DG said.

Sharma further said "we are seeing which technology and equipment is best for our use in border guarding and then we will take a decision which equipment and technology to use where and it would be proof of the concept that these two pilot projects are being run".

"We believe that the future of the border guarding lies in use of technology more and more instead of increasing the manpower. Human beings have got certain limitations and in the dark night a human eye cannot see beyond 100 meters and a human ear cannot detect sound after may be two hundred meters", he said.

"But a technical gadget is in a position to see miles into enemy territory. Our endeavour is to increase the use of technology and modernise border guarding and I am really happy to say that government is fully behind us," he said.

Asserting that more use of technology would be done in border guarding, Sharma said that the latest technology gadgets and equipment being inducted in BSF which besides acting as force multiplier for better and more effective domination will also provide relief to the jawan by way of reducing his workload.