Not keen to solely depend on the Indian Army, the Union home ministry will soon equip the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with world-class technology like satellite imagery or UAVs to step-up vigilance on the Indo-China border particularly the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region.
As a tense stand-off continues on the Sino-Indian border in Ladakh with around 30 armed personnel of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sitting in a tent on Indian territory, top MHA officials said the proposed technological push is expected to act as a ‘’force multiplier’’ for the central paramilitary forces like the ITBP, BSF, SSB which are in the forefront of guarding India’s borders with neighbouring countries.
In the next few months, the MHA will conduct ‘’field trials’’ by several international companies, from Korea and United States among 39 others in the Ladakh region and other ‘’unfenced’’ border areas to display their technology which can alert the forces as soon as ‘’incursions’’ or other ‘’illegal activities’’ take place on the border.
“It can be any technology that can virtually guard the borders where there fencing is not possible due to various reasons and the terrain is difficult,” an official said.
It can be recalled that the Indian forces were able to detect the Chinese tent through an arial survey only a day after the China’s PLA entered nearly 18 kilometres into the LAC with atleast two vehicles aiding their movement.
The decision to begin the field trials in border areas was taken after a series of meetings convened between the MHA , ITBP and other central forces and the international and national companies offering the technology in the last few days.
“We want that the border guarding forces are fully satisfied with the technology and the ground trials will show them the results.