Rajasthan border areas face thread of Pakistani telecom towers

ISLAMABAD (MEDIA)

Drawing the Central government’s attention towards the potential threat that state’s border areas face because of Pakistani telecom towers, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva urged the UPA-led government and states for taking co-ordinated action to tackle the security threat from across the border.

The Governor was addressing the Conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday. India com reported.

Pakistan’s mobile telephone network pose a challenge in border areas because their network is accessible for three to four kilometres inside India by users relying on Pakistani SIM cards.

Though the law and order situation in Rajasthan was generally peaceful, the “heightened threat perception continues” because of terrorist activities from across the border, Alva said.

“To strengthen surveillance in the border areas, the Central government should provide enhanced technical and training support to Rajasthan, which has the longest international border with Pakistan,” Alva said while underlining the challenge Pakistan’s mobile telephone networks pose in state’s border areas.

Meanwhile, talking about the state of higher education in Rajasthan, the Governor sought financial contribution from the Centre. “The Universities and Colleges in the state have implemented guidelines issued by the UGC which had led to additional financial burden on the Government of Rajasthan. The Centre should share some of this financial burden imposed on the state,” she said.

She also urged the Centre to take additional steps to help improve educational and medical services in five districts covered under the Tribal Area Sub-Plan.