Bhuj

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated the Border Security Force’s Border Outpost (BOP) G-7 in Gujarat’s Bhuj region along the India-Pakistan International Border and highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen security infrastructure in the strategically sensitive Harami Nala area.

During the visit, Shah interacted with BSF personnel stationed at the outpost and also planted a neem sapling. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi were present at the event.

Addressing officials and security personnel, Shah said the G-7 and G-13 projects were developed as part of a broader initiative to reinforce border security in difficult terrain. He noted that the infrastructure project had been completed at an estimated cost of Rs 175 crore.

Shah recalled that concerns regarding vulnerabilities in the Harami Nala sector were raised during his first review meeting with the BSF after he became Union Home Minister.

He said the government gradually built a strong security framework in the region despite major technical and geographical obstacles. According to him, the surrounding area near the border outposts had to be raised significantly above ground level to enable construction and ensure operational efficiency.

The Home Minister added that he personally monitored the project for several months to ensure uninterrupted progress of survey and construction work in the challenging environment.

Speaking about national border security more broadly, Shah referred to the issue of incomplete fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal. He claimed that after the BJP formed the government in the state, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expedited the process of land allocation required for fencing work.

He expressed confidence that infiltration activities would reduce considerably once the fencing project is fully completed.

Shah is currently on a two-day visit to Gujarat, during which he is attending multiple official programmes related to infrastructure, development and security.

Earlier during the visit, he unveiled an 18-foot-tall Bharat Mata sculpture installed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation near New Vadaj Circle in Ahmedabad in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Slogans in praise of Bharat Mata were raised during the ceremony.

The event was attended by several dignitaries, including state minister Darshna Vaghela, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Deputy Mayor Anju Shah, MPs, MLAs and civic officials.

Shah had also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth around Rs 340 crore in the Kalol and Gandhinagar (North) Assembly constituencies. He additionally inaugurated a primary school during the visit.

Addressing another public gathering, Shah said he had inaugurated or laid the foundation for projects worth nearly Rs 1,200 crore across two Assembly constituencies in Gandhinagar district over the last 10 days.

He expressed confidence that before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, all villages in the Kalol and Gandhinagar (North) constituencies would have improved civic amenities, including gardens and ponds.

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Shah also said that the development model initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat has now expanded across the country during the BJP-led government’s 12 years in office. He added that the party currently governs nearly 80 per cent of India’s geographical area.