The Union Home Minister has recently launched the project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique). This significant project has been established under the guidance of CIBMS (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System) and is located on the India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri District of Assam.
Role and Challenges Faced By BSF
The Border Security Force (BSF) bears the responsibility to protect a massive stretch of over 4,096 Km of International Border with Bangladesh. Due to various geographical barriers, erecting a Border Fence at certain places is not feasible. One such challenging area is the 61 Kilometers of the Border in District Dhubri, Assam, where River Brahmaputra merges into Bangladesh. This region is filled with huge char lands and countless river channels, making it quite problematic for border guards especially during the rainy season.
Technological Solutions to Overcome Challenges
In 2017, to overcome these challenges, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to implement technological solutions alongside the physical presence of BSF. In January 2018, the Information and Technology Wing of BSF took up the project BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique).
Details of BOLD-QIT Project
BOLD-QIT aims at installing technical systems that enable BSF to equip Indo-Bangla borders with different kinds of sensors in the unfenced riverine area of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. The ambitious project has covered the entire span of River Brahmaputra with a data network generated by Microwave communication, Optical fibers cable (OFC), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Communication, day and night surveillance Cameras, and an intrusion detection system.
Beneficial Outcomes of BOLD-QIT
This modern technology not only provides feeds to BSF Control Rooms on the Border, but also enables BSF Quick Reaction Teams to prevent any illegal cross border crossing/crimes. Additionally, it gives a break to the troops from constant human surveillance.
| Year | Project | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Technological solutions decided | All borders |
| 2018 | BOLD-QIT launched | Dhubri District of Assam |
About Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS)
The CIBMS is a robust and integrated system that is designed to fill in the gaps in the present border security system by integrating human resources, weapons, and high-tech surveillance equipment. The implementation of CIBMS started in 2016 and has three components which use several devices for effective surveillance, communication, and data storage for an overall security picture. Sensors such as Thermal Imager, Unattended Ground Sensor(UGS), Fiber Optical Sensors, Radar, Sonar, and satellite imagery are used in the CIBMS system.
