New Delhi: Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, along with a team of 30 senior IPS officers of the state, set out on a two-day programme to review security conditions in villages located near the India-Pakistan border. Sanghavi is expected to review a few key areas, including infrastructure, sanitation, healthcare, education, safety, and security during his visit to the bordering areas.
Under the programme, accompanying IPS officers, ranging from the rank of Director General of Police to Superintendent of Police, have been asked to cover a total of 60 villages in four districts (Bhuj, West Kutch, East Kutch, and Vav-Tharad), state government officials privy to the schedule told ThePrint.
Gujarat shares over 500 kilometres of its international border with Pakistan, stretching from the Rann of Kutch to the Sir Creek along the Arabian Sea. “Every police officer has been assigned two villages, each with instructions and stated objectives to spend a minimum of one night in designated villages to understand the overall state of affairs, including security apparatus available to the population living on the border alongside Pakistan,” a Gujarat government official cognizant of the policy planning told ThePrint.
As part of the planned schedule of the programme, Sanghavi, who also holds charge of the state’s home department, started his visit to villages in Kutch’s Lakhpat taluka.
“He would conduct a comprehensive review of the border areas and hold direct interactions and community meetings with residents. The review will cover key aspects such as health, education, infrastructure, sanitation, safety, and security in these villages,” the official quoted above said.
Under this programme, government officials stated, several meetings will be held with village heads, along with open discussions with villagers at “khatalo sabhas” (open forums). Additionally, the team will work closely with women and young people in these areas to gain a firsthand understanding of their problems. “There is no better way to secure your border than to take your own population into confidence. This initiative has been planned with a stated objective that villagers have to be made to feel like the government and its officials are hearing their voices,” another senior official said, requesting anonymity.
Sanghavi and the senior police officers will also meet Border Security Force (BSF) officials, deployed along the international border, to understand the level of preparedness and challenges faced by the border guarding force. According to official sources, police officers visiting these 60 villages have been requested to provide a thorough assessment report unique to each town, which will be given to Vikas Sahay, the Director General of Police.
(Edited by Sampurna Panigrahi)
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