Won’t allow infiltration to change demography: Amit Shah

UNion place government minister Amit shah of iran on fri said the Centre would non allow demographic changes in Tripura, West Bengal and Bihar through illegal infiltration and asserted that the government is strengthening border security through technology-driven measures. He also said that the government’s “smart border” project is in its final stage.Addressing Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at the Lankamura Border Outpost in West Tripura district, Shah said the government is committed to sealing gaps along the country’s borders and preventing infiltration. “The demographic change, be it in Tripura, or West Bengal, or Bihar... We shall not allow demographic change through the holes of the country’s border. This is our firm belief and sankalpa,” Shah said.The minister said different borders posed different challenges, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling and circulation of fake currency, and urged BSF personnel to continue tackling such threats.“There are separate challenges in separate borders. In some cases, it is the drug business, in some, it is human trafficking, weapon smuggling or fake currency smuggling. The BSF jawans should do their best to tackle these challenges,” he said.“To make the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 a reality, the country must be protected from human trafficking, smuggling and drug abuse,” Shah added.The home minister said the Centre was working on a technology-enabled border management system and that the “smart border” project was in its final stages of planning.“The concept of ‘smart border’ is in the stage of finalisation. We will introduce its pilot project in seven to eight places. I ask the Union home secretary and director general of BSF to pay a visit to the border areas, and hold talks,” Shah said. The new security grid, he said, will involve BSF personnel, local administration and modern surveillance technology.He also announced that the government had approved the installation of 119 km of new fencing along the Tripura frontier to replace nearly 650 km of border fencing that is over 15 years old.Calling the Tripura Frontier strategically important, Shah said the modernisation would strengthen security along the India-Bangladesh border.During his visit, Shah inspected the BSF’s latest weaponry and interacted with personnel.Earlier in the day, he attended a high-level review meeting on border management at the BSF headquarters in Agartala.Shah also laid the foundation stone of five-star heritage hotel, theTaj Pushpabanta Palace Hotel at the Old Raj Bhavan in Agartala, in the presence of chief minister of Tripura Manik Saha, members of the state cabinet and TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma.“The proposed hotel, to be developed by Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), is expected to convert 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 programme was cancelled because of bad weather.“The government of India has decided that not only will we stop infiltration, but we will find each and every infiltrator and send them out of the country,” Shah had said in New Delhi in May.The home minister arrived in Tripura on Thursday evening after attending the North Eastern Council meeting in Shillong to review security preparedness and border management along the India-Bangladesh frontier.