Drones dropping bombs very serious, very dangerous threat: BSF DG

The recent incident of drones dropping bombs on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu is very serious and very dangerous and there is an urgent need to develop technology to counter this challenge Border Security Force chief Rakesh Asthana said on FridayHe said the force which guards over 6300 kms of Indias land border with Pakistan in the west and Bangladesh on the east is faced by four main challenges on the security frontThese are detection of underground tunnels along the international border with Pakistan presence of electronic devices used by antinational elements in the frontier areas emergence of drones and issues of poor mobile connectivity in remote areasThese scenarios directly impact the efficacy of operations and border domination activities of the Border Security Force BSF Asthana saidThere is an urgent requirement to develop antidrone technology to stop the menace of drones being used for narcoterrorism and attacks on vital installations he said during a webinarThe BSF director general DG was speaking at the launch of a hackathon on finding costeffective innovative technology solutions by startups and premier institutions for the force It has been organised under the banner of the BSF Hightech Undertaking for Maximising Innovation BHUMI in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology MeitYRecently you all must have seen on TV channels the attacks first time in the history through drones on the Indian Air Force IAF base in Jammu the DG saidThe drones have been used by the enemy country and by the criminal elements for bringing in not only weapons ammunition and narcotics but now since they are used for carrying payloads that is being used to drop bombs also which is something very serious and very dangerous Asthana saidAlso read Two drones again spotted over military area in JammuOn June 27 two drones dropped explosives inside the IAF station in Jammu injuring two airmen and causing damage on the roof of a buildingThe BSF had shot down a hexacopter drone carrying arms and ammunition in June last year in Jammu apart from thwarting many such flight reconnaissance bids majorly in the Punjab and Jammu areas along the IndiaPakistan international border IBThe DG said drones posed a challenge not only on the western borders but are being used off late by naxalites also in left wing extremism affected areasThat area also deserves a lot of attention as far as security operations are concerned he said adding that antidrone technology is a key area of work for the largest border guarding force of the country with about 265 lakh personnelThe BSF chief admitted that it has not been able to find solutions to detect tunnelsOne of the main challenges the BSF presently faces is the detection of crossborder underground tunnels along the western borders that brings serious implications on our national security Asthana saidThese tunnels are not only being used for pushing in infiltrators from across the border but also being used to transport or smuggle in narcotics into our country he saidIt is high time Asthana said that concerted resultoriented efforts are made to address the subject of detection of underground tunnels with innovative technological solutionsSo far after a lot of efforts we have not been able to find a solution to identify and detect tunnels from above the ground So this is one challenging area where we have to work the DG saidAccording to data 17 such structures have been detected by the BSF along the Pakistan border area in the last two decadesAsthana said another vital area of operational significance for the BSF is the need to develop technological solutions in detecting presence of electronic devices in its operational areasThese are being utilised by antinational elements for perpetrating crimes and activities that have a direct bearing on the countrys national security he saidTerrorists who are operating within our territory or the criminals organised gangs who are indulging in smuggling activities particularly in narcotics are using various technological devices which has a bearing on our security scenario Asthana saidThe BSF chief asked technology innovators to provide automated communication systems and mobile telephony solutions for its troops who are deployed in remote areas characterised by difficult and undulating terrain that include long stretches of shadow area where there is no communicationThere are so many areas in the west and east particularly in the northeast where we feel difficult to communicate particularly the troops cannot communicate with their family members through mobiles or any other technology he saidAsthana shared a personal experience of staying at a BSF post located in a shifting sand dunes desert area of Rajasthan where there was no mobile communication for full 24 hours but had only wireless communicationThe BSF chief assured the participants of the hackathon that it will provide them all logistical support when their analysts and engineers visit a forward area and said any product found suitable will be explored for procurement on trial basisThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever