The Centre-backed ‘Operation Clean’ has been widened from a 15-km to a 50-km radius along the India-Pakistan International Border, placing 102 villages and hamlets under intensified scrutiny.
Authorities are conducting surveys of unauthorised and suspicious permanent structures, with buildings found to have been erected without valid approvals or using forged documents likely to face demolition.
The operation has also widened its focus on the financial transactions in the border areas of the state, with banks directed to ensure transparency and strict regulatory compliance as security agencies have intensified efforts to curb infiltration, smuggling and illegal funding networks.
The scope of the ‘Operation Clean’ has been significantly expanded following directives from the Centre to strengthen security along the India-Pakistan International Border.
Acting on directives from the Home Department, authorities have expanded the surveillance zone from 15 km to 50 km from the international border. Bikaner Collector Anupama Jorwal said 102 border villages and hamlets (dhanis) have been brought under the enlarged operation, with joint teams already carrying out extensive field surveys.
The administration, in coordination with security agencies, is surveying unauthorised and suspicious permanent structures allegedly built without the required approvals. The exercise is intended to identify illegal settlements and uncover activities linked to cross-border smuggling and other security concerns in areas adjoining the Pakistan border.
Jorwal said the comprehensive survey report will soon be submitted to the Union Home Ministry. The decision to widen the operation’s scope was taken after a recent border security review meeting in Bikaner and discussions under the Vibrant Village Programme.
The campaign, originally limited to a 15-km belt, now covers a much larger area, bringing dozens of additional villages, hamlets and populated settlements under scrutiny. Security agencies believe the expanded perimeter is crucial to tackling threats such as cross-border infiltration, narcotics smuggling and terror financing.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly directed the launch of ‘Operation Clean’ during his interaction with district collectors of border districts during his Bikaner visit. Joint teams comprising the Border Security Force (BSF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), district administration and revenue officials have been deployed. Teams led by patwaris and tehsildars are verifying land ownership records and examining documents to identify illegal occupation, forged ownership claims and unauthorised transactions.
Rajasthan police chief Rajeev Sharma told IANS, “We are working hard to develop border villages under the Vibrant Village Programme, which has yielded good results in North East and other states. The idea is to connect with locals in these villages to ensure that they feel connected with us despite being staying in border areas.”