Amit Shah Enforces 15 km Border Illegal Construction Ban

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed authorities to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach against illegal constructions within 15 km of India’s international borders, a move that has received strong support from villagers living along the Jammu frontier, who say it will help curb cross-border smuggling and infiltration-linked activities.

The directive focuses on identifying and removing unauthorized structures that have come up over the years in sensitive border zones. Officials have been instructed to enforce strict monitoring mechanisms and ensure that no illegal development is allowed to persist in these strategically important areas. The policy is part of a broader push to strengthen internal security and tighten surveillance along vulnerable stretches of the international border.

According to the instructions, district magistrates have been tasked with closely monitoring financial activity in border regions, including banking transactions and suspected shell funding networks. Authorities have also been asked to track fake identity documents, such as Aadhaar cards, and investigate funding sources of large or suspicious businesses operating near the border belt. The aim is to disrupt networks believed to support smuggling and infiltration activities.

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The Home Minister has also called for enhanced coordination between multiple agencies, including the Border Security Force, local police, and central intelligence units. Officials say this integrated approach is intended to dismantle cross-border crime networks more effectively by improving real-time information sharing and joint action on the ground.

In border villages such as Suchetgarh, Samba, and R S Pura, residents have welcomed the move, saying illegal constructions are often linked to drug trafficking networks and overground support systems. Locals claim that proceeds from narco-smuggling have been used to build unauthorized houses, some of which are allegedly used as safe shelters for anti-national elements, further raising security concerns in the region.

The crackdown comes amid an intensified anti-drug campaign in Jammu and Kashmir under Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration, which has already seen more than 100 properties of drug peddlers and associates being demolished or attached. Officials and residents alike believe the combined efforts signal a stronger enforcement drive aimed at dismantling the drug-terror nexus and improving security in border areas.

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