Russia offers smart technology to protect Indian borders

Chennai:

A subsidiary of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) has tied up with Indian based Core Energy Systems with an eye on implementing Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) along the 2,900km India-Pakistan border.

CIBMS is an integration of a number of new gadgets and technologies to ensure electronic surveillance of borders. It uses technology driven by sensors to detect any form of movement in the water, on the land surface and in the air.

The contract was signed by Vadim Pervuninskikh, the Director of NIKIRET  (branch of Production Company “Start” named after MV Protsenko”, a subsidiary of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation) and and Nagesh Basarkar, the Chairman & Managing Director of CORE Energy Systems.

Basarkar said that Core is vying for a share in the CIBMS once the Indian government finishes the two pilot projects of 5.5km and 5.3km stretches along the border in Jammu which is likely to be completed in next two months by Tata Power's Strategic Engineering Division (Tata Power SED) and Slovenian firm Dat Con.

“The bids could be opened up in October once the pilot project is completed to fence the entire border of 2,900km. We have procured sensors from Rosatom subsidiary,” said Basarkar.

The use of CIBMS was being considered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) since 2012 when it released an Expression of Interest (EoI) for a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS). In 2014, the BSF also submitted a detailed report on CIBMS to the MHA, but no decision was taken to implement the system until January 2016.

The pressure for implementing the CIBMS was mounted after the Pathankot terrorist attack in 2016 and the subsequent order by the division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Basarkar told Express that Nikiret was providing the technology to Russia to protect its nuclear installations and other technology of national importance.

The technical equipment uses sensors, detectors, cameras, ground-based radar systems, micro-aerostats, lasers as well as existing equipment for round-the-clock surveillance. The purpose of the CIBMS is to eventually replace manual surveillance or patrolling of the international borders by electronic surveillance.

Basarkar said that the entire contract could be split into packages and he hoped along with the global firms from US, Israel and other countries, Core Energy will be able to win part of the contract.