The Parliamentary
Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs met here
today under the Chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Home
Minister, Shri L.K. Advani and exclusively deliberated on Border
Management. A Visual Presentation was made to appraise the Members
on the ground situation and action taken by the Government on
the recommendations made by the Group Of Ministers (GOM) constituted
to review the National Security System in its entirety after the
Kargil encounter. The Committee was informed that a separate
division on Border Management has already been created in the
Home Ministry as a follow up of the recommendations to pay focused
attention to the issues relating to border management.
The Government was
seized with a variety of issues relating to Border Management
both land and costal borders. India has 15,126 kms of land border
running through 92 districts in 17 States and a coast line of
5,422 kms touching 13 States and Union Territories. It has also
1197 islands accounting for 2094 kms of additional coast-line.
The Meeting was told that border specific issues pertaining to
Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-Nepal, Indo-Pakistan, Indo-Myanmar, Indo-Bhutan
and India-China Borders are now receiving Government’s focused
attention. The Committee was informed the major initiatives by
the Ministry which included, formulation of a Scheme for issuing
of Multi-Purpose National Identity Cards to check illegal migration,
deployment of high-tech electronic surveillance equipments on
the border, Constitution of a State Level Standing Committee and
Joint Task Force by border states including the States which have
coast-lines, steps to check Religious Fundamentalism, strengthening
of Border Area Development Programme, strengthening and Modernizing
the Border Guarding Force, Border Fencing and simultaneous diplomatic
efforts not to allow Indian insurgent groups to operate from their
soil by the Border Countries, like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan
etc.
Participating in
the discussion some Members expressed concern on the rise in activities
by Indian insurgent groups from across the border. It was suggested
that some vulnerable borders should be sealed not to allow these
forces to operate. They said a time-bound programme should be
formulated to check infiltration. Some Members expressed concern
on the infiltration through the coast-line and suggested that
the coast-guard both on the main land and Andaman and Nicobars
should be strengthened to check the activities of the infiltrators.
Shri P.C. Alexander expressed concern on the growing Narcotics
trade and smuggling of arms and explosives which are intimately
linked to this trade. A suggestion was made that the control and
administration of the Narcotics trade should be shifted to the
Home Ministry from the Revenue Department. The Deputy Prime Minister
told the Members that the GOM had recommended the same and Government
has accepted it and it is in the process of implementation. The
Director General Coast Guard who was present in the Meeting briefed
the Members on the Status of the activities of the force.
Replying to Members
queries on various issues of Border Management the Deputy Prime
Minister appreciated the pre-emptive intelligence reports and
consequent action taken to liquidate and apprehend the terrorists.
He was mentioning the December 14 incident in which two terrorists
were killed in the Capital after an encounter. He said the multi-agency
set-up (Intelligence) as suggested by the GOM has already functioning.
General Shankar Roy Choudhury highly applauded the intelligence
agencies for their accurate and swift action. Dr. Karan Singh,
Shri G.M. Banatwalla and Shri Somnath Chatterjee commended the
Home Ministry for the detailed presentation on the Border Management
and also the recent initiatives taken by the Government to strengthen
this. The Home Minister thanked the Members for their deep interest
in the discussions.
S/Shri S.K. Bwiswmuthiary;
Holkhomang haokip; G.M. Banatwalla; Bishnu Pada Ray; Somnath Chatterjee;
Ali Mohd. Naik; Avtar Singh Bhadana; Anadicharan Sahu; Dr. C.P.
Thakur; V. Dhananjay Kumar all from Lok Sabha and S/Shri Dina
Nath Mishra; Ram Gopal Yadav; S.V. Virumbi; Dr. Karan Singh; Gen.
S.Roy Chowdhury (Retd.); Balbir K. Punj; and P.C. Alexander all
from Rajya Sabha participated in the discussions. The Ministers
of State, Shri Ch. Vidyasagar Rao and Shri I.D. Swami attended
the Meeting.
