India offers joint mechanism to neighbours to fight illegal activities

India has mooted the idea of setting up a joint mechanism with neighbouring countries to stop drug trafficking and illegal crossing over of people.

“Formal agreements and creation of joint mechanisms between India and its neighbours is necessary to ensure elimination of illegal crossovers, drug trafficking and infiltration,” said India’s Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.

“Unless India’s neighbours are made to realise that it was in the interest of both countries to stop incursions, the security of all the countries cannot be ensured,” said Rijiju.

He was addressing the FICCI-India Foundation convention on ‘Homeland Security-2016: Smart Borders Management’ in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

The minister cautioned that in spite of border fencing such illegal activities are still going on.

“Development and security go hand in hand and mere physical delineation of territories will not suffice… Although India had fenced borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the government was trying to make the security mechanism foolproof… illegal crossing and drug trafficking were nevertheless occurring,” he said.

Rijiju said that India’s border security management and welfare of the people living along the country’s borders should receive its deserved attention.

“People were becoming impatient and they wanted to be heard. Therefore, it was critical to address the issues of people on the border; otherwise, it will lead to a situation where “they will refuse to hear us out,” the minister pointed out.

Illegal crossing and drug trafficking are the two major issues India has been confronting in its western as well as eastern borders.