Indian Army to build smart fence along LoC

Indian military officer says 700km fence will have enhanced surveillance features with integrated sensors

The Indian Army in a bid to control ‘cross border infiltration’ has decided to speed up its work on installing a new smart fence along India’s Line of Control.

“The present fence has high rate of degradation due to snow and has to be repaired after every season which costs about 50-60 crore every year,” a senior officer of the Indian military told The Hindu.

He added that that over time the infiltrators have also started getting used to the existing fence and have come up with ways to breach it.



The existing fence installed by New Delhi on its sides is called the Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System which is some 700m from the LoC. The fence which is double row consists of concertina wire and was constructed by New Delhi between 2003 and 2005.

The Indian newspaper reported that a proposal to install the smart fence has been in the pipeline for some time as it would allow the Indian authorities round the clock real-time surveillance. It added that installing of the fence has gained momentum after the Pathankot and Uri terror attacks last year, in which India alleged that the attackers had come from the cross border.

The officer also revealed that the fence has already been tested and installed along a 50km stretch. He added that the project will be constructed by the Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers.



“The smart fence stretching about 700 km will have enhanced surveillance features with integrated sensors and also has better survivability,” the officer said, however, he did not dwell into the details due to sensitivity.

The newspaper also claimed that the new fence would be constructed in place of the existing one and is expected to cost around 10 billion Indian rupees. The Indian Army sources also said that they have also received an in-principle approval from the BJP-led government for the project and have been assured that it will receive the required funds.

It has also been reported that the project would be undertaken in phases. Under the first phase, New Delhi will build the fence on the most vulnerable areas and where most damage has occurred. Meanwhile, the rest of the fence will be replaced in the second phase.