NEW DELHI: Mohammad Sayeed Tuesday said the government proposed to take up another 226 KM of border fencing and 207 KM of floodlighting in Punjab to check infiltration from across the borders.

Work on 120 KM of border fencing and 110 KM of floodlighting had already been completed, Sayeed said. Apart from gearing up the intelligence machinery and meticulous execution of ant militant plans in the state, there was an effective coordination between civil and police units, he added.

Addressing members of the parliamentary consultative committee of the home ministry, Sayeed said that a sustained pressure on the militants was being maintained through a number of effective measures in Jammu and Kashmir State,

The vigil on the border had been further strengthened and ant infiltration measures had been implemented along the border, he said.

He made it clear that Sikh freedom fighters would be strictly dealt with, as there would be no compromise with the unity and integrity of the country.

Sayeed said that a package of measures to contain the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) activists had been formulated in consultation with the state government and the latter had been asked to take early steps to implement them.

On the RamjanambhoomiBabri Masjid issue, Sayeed reiterated the government’s stand of wanting, an amicable solution through negotiations without any precipitate action pending a decision by the court.

Both in Punjab and Kashmir, the Pakistan factor continued to aggravate the situation, the Home Minister said. The continuous flow of sophisticated arms and ammunition from across the border and training camps operating in Pakistan had caused problems, he said.

He said that the government had furnished more evidence of Pakistan’s involvement at the recent meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries, Pakistan had assured that the evidence furnished by India would be examined, he said.

The government was not averse to a dialogue within the constitutional framework but violence in any form must be eschewed first, he said.

A higher allocation of RS 9.05 billion had been made this year for the development of Punjab, he said.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 10, 1990