All gaps along Pakistan, Bangladesh border to be plugged in next 2 years: HM Shah

The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India's two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years, with work underway to completely plug gaps in about 60 km stretch along these two fronts.

Mr. Shah was speaking after taking salute from a ceremonial parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 59th Raising Day celebrations here.

The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders in the last nine years since it came to power at the Centre.

These gaps were being used for infiltration and smuggling, he said.

All the gaps in these two borders on India's western and eastern flank respectively are being plugged and work in only about 60 km is left. In the next two years we will entirely secure these two borders, Mr. Shah said.

The two borders — 2,290 km of India-Pakistan International Border and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh border — are marked by long riverine, mountainous and marshy areas where it is very difficult to erect fences and hence the BSF and other agencies use technical gadgets to check infiltration.

"I firmly believe that a country cannot develop and prosper if its borders are not secure...the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led the country to the moon with the Chandrayaan mission, G20 Summit and brought the economy from the 11th to the fifth spot, and this was all possible due to our forces deployed for securing the borders like the BSF," he said.