DOI 10.60531/INSIGHTOUT.2024.2.11| CHANDRAGIRI, DAS: INDIA-PAKISTAN BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE_ INSIGHTOUT 2(2024) 79The Indian government considered this movementa threat to the nation and used its military might tosilence the dissenting voices. It was also found thatthe militant group had received support in the formof weapons and people from Pakistan. Consequently, the degree of securitisation increased in borderareas to cut off Pakistani support by arresting crossborder movements.The Indian government started fencing the bordersof Punjab in the 1980s with the help of the BSF.The Standard Operating Procedures regarding theborder infrastructure between India and Pakistanentail a construction-free zone at the zero line. Assuch, the fence was erected a few metres away fromthe defined international border. However, Pakistanopposed the idea of a border fence and resortedto constant firing to stall the construction. As thefence was erected inside the Indian territory, it literally cut off farmers’ access to their fields near theborder. Gates were installed at intervals for farmersto access their land. As a result, to cross the fencefor farming, the farmers have to undergo elaboratesecurity checks every day. They are given a specialcard and are required to write the names of all thelabourers who are accompanying them to the farmon paper, which has to be signed by the sarpanch(the head of the village). Only those who have a valid Aadhar card5are permitted to cross the fence.Moreover, the gates are opened at specific timesand are closed on Mondays. Due to the elaboratesecurity apparatus, the farmers find that their everyday lives at the border have become riddled withmultiple hassles. Villagers feel a sense of subordination to the military and to the infrastructural security apparatus.Another problem caused by the border landscape isthe lack of development. Other than a few housesand a gurudwara, there are no other buildings in thevillages. The other end of these villages has a smallcanal, and the border area is connected to the other side by a rickety bridge with broken railings. It isbroad enough for one tractor to pass across. Therehave been instances of youngsters falling into thecanal while riding their bikes. A villager mentionedthat one person lost his life in this manner. There is anelementary school right next to this bridge attendedmostly by the children of labourers.Indian borderlands lag in development as the statediscourses view these areas solely through the lensof security parameters. The uncertainties associatedwith such areas lead to a gradual decline in development. For instance, a villager mentioned that PulKanjri, a place nearby, was a large city before India’spartition. However, after Partition, people abandoned the site and now the area is predominantly agrarian. It is bounded by border fences and lags behindin development like the other border villages in thearea.In the 1980s, a need was felt to develop the borderareas in a bid to arrest migration from the borderlands and to provide basic necessities to the borderland inhabitants. Therefore, the Border Area Development Programme was launched as a meansto enhance national security through infrastructuraldevelopment. While importance is given to the construction of roads for better border management, thegovernment also focuses on healthcare, education,community development, et cetera. However, ourfield study found that the villages of Mulakot and Audar are highly underdeveloped areas, with no publictransport provision, aggravating their isolation. Eventhough the architecture of the village poses severalproblems to all the villagers, our study found thatthere are specific gendered implications for bounded imageries of spatiality.5An identity card issued by the government of India.
