NEW DELHI,01.07.18- On 1^st July 2018 Shri K K Sharma, Director General, Border Security Force, laid the foundation stone for Administrative Block of HQ Special DG (Western Command) BSF. The ceremony was attended by all the IsG of the five Frontiers responsible for guarding India-Pakistan border, heads of the five premier training institutions of the BSFand other officers of the Western Command.

To give a broad profile of Western Command, it may be pointed out that the command under leadership of Spl DG / Addl DG consists of five Frontiers of Kashmir, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, spread over approximately 2800 kms. Each of the Frontiers is led by an IG rank officer.

In terms of terrain as well as climate, the India-Pakistan border is always considered a very formidable challenge to all security establishments. Despite extremely inhospitable geographical features and extreme variation of climatic conditions, with temperature fluctuating from -20°in Kashmir to +50° in Rajasthan and Kutch in Gujarat, the Border Security Force in last five decades has effectively dominated the border through alert and robust surveillance mechanism.

The operational challenges of Western Command are very diverse.From infiltration byhighly indoctrinated militants in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab to the smuggling of drugs in Punjab and Rajasthan and illegal movement on the Indian side of the creek in Gujarat by Pakistani fishermen, the BSF has taken the challenges head on and yielded commendable results.It is a matter of great satisfaction that in recent months, there has not been even single confirmed case of infiltration in area of south of Chenab. Similarly the Punjab Frontier has done exceptionally well in dismantling the supply chain of drugs from across the border. In Gujarat also, the BSF has dominated the creek area for the first time during peak monsoon.

Since the challenges and strategies of forces inimical to India from across the border are changing, BSF is also ramping up its efforts proportionately. Under the guidance of the DG BSF, Shri K K Sharma, BSF is going forward with adoption and integration of state of the art technologies in border surveillance and domination. What has so far been a pilot project will soon become a way of life in near future thereby helping BSF to become a truly modern border guarding force.

BSF lays great emphasis on training as it is this component that moulds an ordinary human being into a professional and disciplined borderman. The enormous responsibility of ensuring this makeover lies with the five training centers under Western Command each one headed by an IG level officer. These centers of excellence have not only trained BSF’s own recruits and officers, they are in great demand by various state police organizations as well.

Although the Command was created as a distinct administrative unit in 2006, all relevant clearances and permission related to establishment of infrastructure have come in 2018. With the proactive support from the Force Headquarter under the leadership of DG BSF, the complex should become ready in next three years.

The Western Command is grateful to DG BSF, Shri K K Sharma, for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to lay down the foundation stone of the Western Command complex.