The Hindu : Surveillance in States bordering Nepal, Bhutan to be stepped up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

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Surveillance in States bordering Nepal, Bhutan to be stepped up

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 17. The Centre has asked the States bordering Nepal and Bhutan to prepare action plans for strengthening police infrastructure in border areas for intensive surveillance, checking of smuggling and sprucing up intelligence network. These States had been asked to submit their action plans to the Home Ministry immediately, the Union Home Secretary, N. Gopalaswami, said here today.

Briefing reporters on the conclusion of a two-day "Internal Security'' conference of Directors-General of Police and State Chief Secretaries, he said State Governments had been asked to streamline measures to identify, detect and deport foreign nationals staying illegally. The progress of follow-up action taken by the States would be reviewed in every quarter by the Home Secretary.

He said border fencing in Eastern and Western sectors was expected to be completed by March 2006. While on the East, some problems were being faced due to thick forests, ravine area passing through Tripura, in the West the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat was posing problems of difficult terrain. A number of agencies such as RITES, NBCC and BRO had been roped in to complete the fencing.

Mr. Gopalaswami said the Central Government had decided, in principle, to provide special funds to the States for upgrading and modernising district administration, headed by the District Magistrate or the Collector and its modalities would be worked out by a small committee to be constituted.

A pilot project was under way for the Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) scheme involving the preparation of a national register of Indian citizens with a unique national identity card number for each citizen.

He said the project had been taken up since April last in a few subdistricts in 13 States and Union Territories covering a total population of 29 lakhs. The pilot project was likely to be completed by March when the scheme would be taken up for the entire country.

The Home Secretary said the States had been told to use "sizeable funds'' given to them for modernisation of police forces and prison reforms.

The need to activate the mechanisms to monitor progress of use of funds regularly was stressed during the conference.

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