Agartala: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the Center will not allow demographic changes in Tripura, West Bengal and Bihar through illegal infiltration and asserted that the government is working to strengthen border security through technology-driven measures. He also said that the “smart border” project being implemented by the government is in its final stage.
Addressing the Border Security Force personnel at the Lankamura border outpost in West Tripura district, Shah said the government was committed to plugging the loopholes along the country’s borders and preventing infiltration. “Demographic change, be it Tripura, West Bengal, Bihar… we will not allow demographic change through the holes in the country’s borders. This is our firm belief and sankalpa,” Shah said.
The minister said that different borders pose different challenges, including drug smuggling, human trafficking, weapons smuggling and the circulation of counterfeit currency, and urged members of the border guard forces to continue confronting such threats.
“There are separate challenges at separate borders,” he said. “In some cases, it is drug trafficking, in others, it is human trafficking, arms smuggling or counterfeit currency smuggling. The border security forces should do their best to confront these challenges.”
“To make the Prime Minister’s vision of Vixit Bharat by 2047 a reality, the country must be protected from human trafficking, smuggling and drug abuse,” Shah added.
The Interior Minister said that the center was working on a technology-enabled border management system and that the “smart border” project was in the final planning stages.
“The concept of ‘Smart Border’ is in the finalization stage. We will introduce its pilot project in seven to eight places. I request the Union Home Minister and Director General of Border Guard Forces to pay a visit to the border areas and hold talks,” Shah said. He said that the new security network will include members of the border guard forces, the local administration, and modern surveillance technology.
He also announced that the government has approved the construction of a new 119 km fence along the Tripura border to replace nearly 650 km of border fencing that is more than 15 years old.
Describing the Tripura border as strategically important, Shah said the modernization would enhance security along the India-Bangladesh border.
During his visit, Shah inspected the latest weapons of the Border Guard forces and interacted with individuals.
Earlier in the day, he attended a high-level review meeting on border management at the Border Security Force headquarters in Agartala.
Shah also laid the foundation stone for the five-star heritage hotel, Taj Pushpabanta Palace Hotel at Old Raj Bhavan in Agartala, in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, state cabinet members and Tipra Mutha founder Pradyut Kishore Debbarma.
“The proposed hotel, to be developed by the Indian Hotels Corporation Limited (IHCL), is expected to transform the historic royal palace into a heritage hospitality destination,” CM Saha posted on X.
Shah was also scheduled to visit the Tripurasundari temple in Tripura’s Gomati district, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, but the program was canceled due to inclement weather.
“The Indian government has decided that we will not only stop infiltration, but we will find every infiltrator and send them out of the country,” Shah said in New Delhi in May.
The Home Minister arrived in Tripura on Thursday evening after attending the North East Council meeting in Shillong to review security preparedness and border management along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
