The Border Security Force (BSF), responsible for guarding the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has been tasked with conducting the field trials

New Delhi: The Union home ministry has given the approval for field trials of hi-tech ground-penetrating radar (GPR) that will help detect tunnels, anti-tank mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the western border with Pakistan, a development that comes amid India’s standoff with China.

ETD-2-17072020The handheld GPR will be equipped with an LCD screen, telescopic rod “to plot the real time threat” and will be able to conduct “automatic target recognition”, state the specifications approved by the committee, a copy of which has been seen by ET.

The Border Security Force (BSF), responsible for guarding the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has been tasked with conducting the field trials. For its use in non-motorable roads, dense forest and border areas, the system should be handheld, not weighing more than 5 kilograms and be able to detect all kinds of mines and IEDs in different soil conditions, according to the requirements.

The system will strengthen counter-infiltration measures and help detect underground tunnels on the India-Pakistan border, said officials.

The BSF and Indian Army have detected six cross-border tunnels along the border in Jammu region since 2012. These were used to push Pakistani militants, arms and ammunition into Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials.

The border guarding force said the radars will have data storage facility with either external storage of 16 GB or inbuilt system of minimum 4 GB.