
Entire border with Myanmar to be fenced in ten years, say government officials
The Hindu
India plans to fence entire Myanmar border with anti-cut, anti-climb technology to deter illegal infiltration.
The 1643-km-long border with Myanmar will be entirely ringed with an “anti-cut, anti-climb” fence in the next ten years, according to government officials and a parliamentary panel report.
The project to fence the Myanmar border was announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in February 2024 and the work has gathered pace in the past three or four months, officials said.
From April 1-December 31, 2024, an amount of ₹114.09 crore has been spent on constructing the fence and company operating bases for the Assam Rifles, the central armed police force (CAPF) that is responsible for guarding the Myanmar border.
“The technology is entirely indigenous and developed by our own engineers. It has anti-cut and anti-climb features which will deter illegal infiltration and secure the border,” said a senior official of the Assam Rifles.
A March 10 parliamentary panel report said that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had in March 2024, approved a proposal worth ₹31,000 crore to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and to construct roads to provide better connectivity to company operating bases (COBs) of the Assam Rifles.
“For creating infrastructure along the IMB (India-Myanmar Border), the CCS granted in-principle approval for construction of fence and 64 border roads. Construction of fence and road of 1,610.2 km along IMB in 10 years and its maintenance for five years, at cost of ₹20,264.4 crore; construction of 58 roads (1,467.5 km) to connect the COBs of Assam Rifles and six approach roads (78.7 km) to IMB in 10 years and its maintenance for five years, at cost of ₹10,767.5 crore (total cost ₹31,031.9 crore),” the report said.
The model is likely to be replicated along the international border with Pakistan and Bangladesh, the official said.