New Banaskantha Police Range approved for better border surveillance

Ahmedabad: In a significant administrative overhaul aimed at tightening security and improving policing along Gujarat’s international border, the state govt approved the creation of a new Banaskantha Police Range by bifurcating the existing Border Range, one of the largest and most strategically sensitive police jurisdictions in the state.

According to a govt resolution issued by the home department, the headquarters of the newly constituted Banaskantha Range will be located in Palanpur. The move follows a proposal from the Director General of Police (DGP), who flagged operational difficulties in supervising a vast territory spread across multiple border districts adjoining Pakistan.

Until now, the Border Range comprised West Kutch, East Kutch, Patan and Banaskantha districts. The jurisdiction covered nearly 406 km of the India-Pakistan international border and about 238 km of coastline, making it a critical zone from both law-and-order and national security perspectives.

Officials said the sheer geographical spread had made inspections, supervision and coordination increasingly challenging. The govt also considered the recent administrative reorganisation in north Gujarat, including the formation of the Vav-Tharad district from Banaskantha, while taking the decision.

The distance of around 310 km between Kutch and Banaskantha was another factor cited in favour of creating a separate range to ensure quicker response and closer monitoring of policing activities.

Under the new arrangement, the Banaskantha Range will comprise Banaskantha, Patan and Vav-Tharad districts.

As part of the restructuring, Morbi district has been shifted from the Rajkot Range to the Border Range. The govt noted that Morbi’s geographical proximity to Kutch makes its inclusion in the Border Range administratively more practical.

Following the changes, the Border Range will consist of West Kutch (Bhuj), East Kutch (Gandhidham) and Morbi districts, while the Rajkot Range will continue to include Rajkot Rural, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Surendranagar districts.

Officials said the reorganisation is designed to improve command and control, facilitate more frequent field inspections and strengthen coordination among security agencies operating in border and coastal areas. The government expects the new structure to enhance law-and-order management and security oversight in regions adjoining the India-Pakistan border while improving overall administrative efficiency.