Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday directed the authorities to strictly enforce a zero-tolerance policy against illegal structures within and demolish them, officials said.
Shah issued the directions while chairing a high-level security review meeting in Bikaner to comprehensively assess security-related issues concerning the border districts along the Indo-Pakistan Border (IPB).
It was attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister , senior state government officials, and District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of five border districts – Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Sri Ganganagar, and Phalodi.
It was also decided to formulate a 360-degree security framework for every border district with the idea that an integrated approach “will actively involve local citizens, the state government machinery, and all concerned security agencies to .”
Shah also emphasised a coordinated border management strategy involving the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the state government to effectively address infiltration, narcotics smuggling, encroachment, terror financing, and other trans-border crimes.
He directed District Magistrates to assume enhanced responsibilities, including ensuring full legal and financial compliance by all banks, verifying major business establishments, scrutinising their funding sources, tracking mule accounts and shell companies, identifying fake Aadhaar cards, and preventing smuggling.
The instructions came a day after Shah said in Bikaner that anti-drone systems will be deployed along the International Border in the next six months, in view of cross-border smuggling, underlining the need to view BSF’s traditional role “from a new dimension.” And last week, Shah had said that India will soon roll out a “Smart Border project” to make frontiers with Pakistan and Bangladesh impenetrable and to eliminate illegal infiltration.
