BSF Expedites Border Fence Reconstruction in Jammu, Punjab After Flood Damage

SRINAGAR: The Border Security Force (BSF) has intensified the reconstruction and repair of border fencing and posts along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Punjab after extensive damage caused by the August floods. Officials told Daily Excelsior that work on rebuilding submerged and damaged stretches of the fencing in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts, as well as several areas in neighbouring Punjab, has been taken up on a fast track, with completion expected shortly.

“Entire work is expected to be completed soon,” officials told Excelsior, adding that the reconstruction drive has been closely monitored by the Union Home Ministry. The ministry, they said, is keeping a regular watch on the situation to ensure that terrorists do not exploit gaps in the fencing for infiltration from across the border.

Following the floods, the BSF increased surveillance through drones, boats, and foot patrols, deploying multiple layers of monitoring to prevent infiltration attempts by Pakistan-backed groups. Simultaneously, damaged fencing and posts were taken up for urgent repair on what officials described as “a war-footing.”

Jammu, Samba, and Kathua—three districts that share the International Boundary with Pakistan—were among the worst hit by flash floods in late August. The Chenab River and its tributaries in Akhnoor, along with the Basantar in Samba, rose above the danger mark on August 26 and the following days, inundating several areas and damaging both government infrastructure and civilian property.

Officials said Akhnoor and Pargwal witnessed particularly severe damage due to the Chenab’s fury. Similar scenes were reported along the border in Punjab’s Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts, where flash floods washed away stretches of the fencing and several forward posts.

Even before the monsoon’s devastation, security agencies had reported infiltration attempts along the International Border, especially in Hiranagar and adjoining areas of Kathua, as well as Pathankot district in Punjab. The most recent infiltration bid was reported in late March, when a group of terrorists entered through the Hiranagar sector and were later engaged in Ghati, Kathua district. The encounter left four police personnel martyred and two terrorists dead, while others managed to flee toward the upper reaches of Billawar.

“The BSF has taken all possible steps to ensure that Pakistan and its terrorist handlers do not exploit the post-flood situation to push infiltrators across the border,” sources told Daily Excelsior.

Officials added that the reconstruction work has now reached its final phase, restoring both physical barriers and electronic surveillance systems along sensitive stretches of the border. The Home Ministry’s continuing oversight, they said, has ensured that no security vulnerability persists as the region recovers from one of its most destructive monsoons in recent years.