The BSF is working on a project to erect a floating fence made of aluminium to plug holes along the large riverine West Bengal- Bangladesh border.
The 'pilot project' for erecting this light-weight fence, half submerged in water, is underway in the Gojadanga border area near here where both the land and riverine International Border (IB) between the two countries meet at a place called Panitar.
"The project is being undertaken by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) in the border areas. The force is using various technical gadgets and techniques to secure this border which has a large percentage of riverine areas and is more difficult to guard as compared to the land areas," BSF Inspector General (South Bengal Frontier) Sandeep Salunke told PTI at its headquarters in Kolkata.
Officials manning the frontier here said Gojadanga, in the North 24 Parganas district, has been picked for the project as the riverine areas of Icchamati river here are the most challenging given the difficult terrain and topography.
"The aluminium fence being tested here is called 'infinium' and it will entail erecting long poles of the metal held up straight by a reinforced mixture of concrete and cement under the water.
"Such a fence is expected to be tensile in strength and at par with steel. As it is aluminium, it is also considered corrosion and rust proof which is a big requirement for such assets submerged in saline waters here," the official said.
BSF commanders said the fence will have an inter-twining of concertina wires and will have colour coding to denote its location during high-tide.
They said 'infinium' was also chosen to be tested in these areas as it is recyclable and not hazardous and will help in keeping safe the fragile environment of the Sunderbans where large parts of the 4,096 km Indo-Bangla border run.
IG Salunke said while the force has deployed three floating border posts (large patrol ships) to keep a vigil in these areas, the vessels are not a fool-proof solution for keeping the area safe and secure.
"This fence test, if successful, will give us an edge vis-a-vis maintaining the sanctity of the border. However, even when it is erected after final approvals, we will require patrolling to see it is not damaged by illegal elements," he said.
The futuristic needs of this border, the IG said, is to have a 'smart fence' based on satellite data and imagery as the 384 km of 915.88 km-long South Bengal frontier is in the riverine areas. Cultivation and habitation in this area are right upto the border and, at a few locations, inside the zero line of the IB, making it difficult for the force to keep a check on border crimes.
