KUTCH SECTOR: The changing face of this border district in the wake of a spurt in economic activities following the January 2001 earthquake has increased the security concerns of the Army and internal security agencies.

A series of concessions, including tax holiday for five years, further extended by another five years, granted by the Government in a bid to resettle the quake-affected inhabitants, is attracting industrial houses to set up units. According to the District Industries Centre in Kutch, the total assured investments is over Rs.93,000 crore of which Rs.22,000 crore has already come in. Projects worth over Rs.60,000 crore, including three power projects near the Mundra port, are in various stages of implementation. They will create total job opportunities of about 20,000 including about 9,000 already employed.

Real estate prices are shooting up because of the rapid industrialisation. Since industrial construction requires huge manpower, the resultant increase in human and vehicular movements in and out of the district has raised security concerns. Brigadier P.C. Chaudhary, commanding the Bald Eagles formation of the Golden Katar division, says that while the industrial activities have so far been confined to the hinterland they may soon spread to areas close to the long coastline.

Hence, the sparsely populated and minority-dominated coastal villages from Koteshwar to Lakhpat and beyond will see "new faces." The Army has no reason to doubt the loyalty of the local population. But to overcome the problem of disruptive elements infiltrating into the country in the garb of industrial workers, it has, along with other security agencies, started interacting with locals to make them "wary of strangers."

Street plays

Among the most popular form of interaction are street plays, where some Armymen wear the garb of "infiltrators" to be hunted down by other jawans. The villagers have been told to be on the lookout for "strange faces" and report to the security agencies.

Life is no bed of roses for the Border Security Force and the Bald Eagles formation guarding the entire Kutch peninsula, considered unique for military operations owing to the combination of tasks and the geographical contradictions it offers. On the one side are the vast inaccessible marshy stretches located in the Thar desert known as the Great Rann of Kutch. On the other there are the unstable quicksand creeks where navigation requires a great deal of caution and knowledge of the terrain.

The Army is operating shoulder to shoulder with other security agencies and the district civil administration both for training activities and for sharing information. The umbrella agency meet regularly and the intelligence sharing has led to encouraging results.

A few months ago, an alleged ISI operative Adeel Anjuman Bhatti was picked up in Bhuj, the district headquarters, and handed over to the police. Adeel was believed to be passing on information to the ISI about the defence bases and military movements in the district. He allegedly slipped into the district via Nepal and spent over 10 months here. He also reportedly picked up two agents to carry on in his absence.

Porous borders

Due to the high porous borders, guarding the Rann of Kutch will remain a difficult task still at least the construction of an eight-foot high fence is completed. "The work on the 508-km border fence is progressing fast, but not to the satisfaction level," a senior BSF official says. Besides being more than 100 km away from the last human habitation, basic supplies, including water, have to be carried to the workers. Due to the shifting soil pattern, pillars have to be re-erected in many places and the plans redrawn. The laying down of electricity lines and the setting up of a power sub-station at Vigo Kot, about two km from Pakistan, to illuminate the entire border is in progress. The composite border outposts are being strengthened to intensify the vigil.

The advent of the satellite-operated Direct-to-Home (DTH) television connection has come as a boon for the sentries, who have to spend about eight months at the posts.

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