MeECL's delay to power flood lights puts BSF in trouble

An inordinate delay from the Meghalaya Electricity Corporation Ltd (MeECL) to power flood lights along the Indo-Bangladesh International Border has put the Border Security Force in "undue hardship" in managing the 443 km-long border, officials said today.
The MeECL is to provide floodlights along the Indo-Bangladesh border and Rs 14.7 crore have been deposited since 2012 for the same.
"We are serving under severe and undue hardship in view of the lack of proper power for the floodlights. This process should ideally have been completed by 2009," Border Security Force (BSF) Meghalaya Frontier IG P K Dubey told PTI.
Although the MeECL has been told to have the flood lights powered, the tendering process from their part has been delayed, he said.

Currently, the BSF has 125 Border Outposts and the floodlights are running on diesel generator sets meant to light the BOPs only, Dubey said.
Noting that the BSF personnel have to perform duties under severe condition in view of the situation arising out of the absence of proper lighting system, he said incidents of cross border crimes and smuggling had risen.

According to a seizure list of the BSF this year, hundreds of cattle were attempted to be smuggled across the border every month.
Till July, over 1200 cattle were seized within few meters from the zero line along the Indo-Bangladesh border, he said.

Apart from cattle smuggling, logs and contraband items worth several crores were also seized during the same period.
Involvement of local criminals in connivance with smugglers from Bangladesh has always been a great cause of concern for the BSF, Dubey said.
These trans-border criminals not only trespass into Indian territory but also damage the Indo-Bangladesh Border Fence with fence cutting tools and causing loss to government properties, he said.
All these could have been cut to size had the flood lighting process been completed, Dubey said.
An attempt to get a reaction from MeECL did not fructify.