BSF organizes meet with people residing along IB

This is the first such meeting in the last about five years though interaction at DIG and commandant level is a routine affair, especially along the IB.

To build a better coordination with people residing along the International Border (IB), the BSF Saturday organised a public meeting at its headquarters here and discussed various issues pertaining to border management, especially during ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Over 250 public personalities from various border areas, including Arnia, R S Pura, Marh, Ghajansu, Pargwal, Hiranagar, Kathua and Samba, attended the three-hour long meeting at Jammu frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF), an official said.

Inspector General of the BSF (Jammu frontier) Ram Awtar addressed the meeting and discussed various matters related with border management.

This is the first such meeting in the last about five years though interaction at DIG and commandant level is a routine affair, especially along the IB.

"The border population is a key element of national border security aspect and optimum border security level cannot be achieved without active participation of the border population," the officer said.

He said it was exhorted that people living along the border are the eyes and ears of the force to face the multi-dimensional challenge of border management.

"It is a matter of pride that whenever any anti-national element operated in Jammu border area, border population not only immediately approached security forces but also provided every possible assistance from their side," Awtar said.

During the meeting, the border residents raised various issues like scarcity of drinking water, poor road conditions, non-availability of protective 'bundh' (embankment) in the border area.

The IG BSF assured them that the force would approach the civil administration and pursue the matter with optimum efforts.