India Needs a National Border Management Authority

An institutional mechanism for effective border management whose complexities today are more profound than ever before, is need of the hour.

- PATHIKRIT PAYNE

Recently it was reported in some newspapers that Ajeet Madhavarao Go-chade, a Rajya Sabha MP from BJP, has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to create "an all-encompassing Border Management Authority" to deal with every aspect of border management and for the purpose of having a "unified command" in the border guarding organizational structure.

The idea of unified National Border Management Authority for having a structured approach to deal with border issues, does have considerable merit. India has a vast land border as well as a humongous coastline to secure. For securing land borders, it has BSF for Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh border, SSB for Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Border, ITBP for securing India's contentious border with China, and Assam Rifles to take care of Indo-Myanmar border.

Additionally, India has Indian Coast Guard, and Coastal Police of respective state police units, to secure its 7500 km long coastline.

Indian Coast Guard is under the control of Ministry of Defence, while the border guarding Central Police Forces come under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

THE PRESENT CONTEXT

If one looks at the present characteristics of India's border management architecture, India does not have any unified policy for dealing with borders. While India has an extremely stringent policy in place for securing the Indo-Pakistan border, and any kind of illegal intrusion is generally dealt with strong use of force, in case of Indo-Bangladesh border, porosity and vast tracts of unfenced (now being gradually fenced) and riverine borders, coupled with a relatively soft policy, has led to illegal immigration for decades, in addition to sporadic incidences of violence.