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International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 1, Issue:2, (December Issue), 2015 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC

www.ijirssc.in Page 225

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Dr. Monika Kannan Head, Dept. of Geography, Sophia Girls‟ College, Ajmer ,Rajasthan

_________________________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT : The Indo-Pak border lying north west of India, shared by two very important nations

of the South Asia: India and Pakistan. It was formulated in the process of partition between the two

nations on 17th August, 1947 determined by a British Government Commission Report usually referred

to as The Radcliffe Line named after Sir Cyril Radcliffe. Being one of the most heavily militarized

international borders of the world, it makes this entire region very contentious, sensitive and susceptible

to infiltrations and illegal smuggling. Its a long boundary running along Ganganagar, Bikaner,

Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of our state Rajasthan. Investigations expose that the urban growth rate

as a whole slackened after the emergence of Indo-Pak border in 1947. The most damaging effect was

noticed in the Punjab sector, which was the most developed as well as the most populous. The main

objective of the study is to highlight the present development scenario of the border districts of

Rajasthan.The paper also studied the impact of Radcliff line on human life in the western border

districts of Rajasthan.To elucidate the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) of the region showing the different

uses of land in this region.

Keywords:Boundary line Economic development , India, Pakistan. Radcliffe.

I. Introduction: The International borders have a mixed, region specific and town selective impact on the

process of urbanization in the western part of Rajasthan. International border making is a

politico-bureaucratic and a securitized exercise. This research paper is an attempt to discuss

and analyze the geopolitical impact of the Radcliff line. The Indo-Pak border lying north west

of India, shared by two very important nations of the South Asia: India and Pakistan. It was

formulated in the process of partition between the two nations on 17th

August, 1947 determined

by a British Government Commission Report usually referred to as The Radcliffe Line named

after Sir Cyril Radcliffe. Being one of the most heavily militarized international borders of the

world, it makes this entire region very contentious, sensitive and susceptible to infiltrations and

illegal smuggling. Its a long boundary running along Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and

Barmer districts of our state Rajasthan. Investigations expose that the urban growth rate as a

whole slackened after the emergence of Indo-Pak border in 1947. The most damaging effect

was noticed in the Punjab sector, which was the most developed as well as the most populous.

Ironically, border was instrumental in stimulating urbanization in the under developed but

strategically important sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. Research states, the impact of border is

critical up to 40 kms, moderate between 40-100 kilometers and negligible beyond this distance

usually.



II.Objectives of the Study: The basic hypothesis states that towns are likely to suffer in their

growth under a border situation, especially when the two neighboring countries are not in cordial terms

with each other. Losch (1954) suggested that new border areas become depressive and this tendency is

more peculiar to populous regions. House (1959) observed decay in the economy leading to

depopulation of communes on both sides of France-Italian boundary. The Border Area Development

Program (BADP) was started in 1987,attempts to meet the developmental needs of people living in

remote and inaccessible areas of this region.

1. The main objective of the study is to highlight the present development scenario of the

border districts of Rajasthan.

2. To discuss the impact of Radcliff line on human life in the western border districts of

Rajasthan.

3. To elucidate the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) of the region showing the different uses

of land in this region.

III.Study Area:

Rajasthan located in the north western part of the country has a total boundary of the state

is 5920 kms. International boundary is 1070 kms long. The main districts adjacent to the

boundary are Ganganagar



(210 kms), Bikaner (168kms), Jaisalmer (464 kms) and Badmer (228kms) (Map 1). This border

area commences from Hindumalkot to Kutch (Gujrat). Three districts from the Sindh Province

of Pakistan; Bahawalpur, Kherpur and Meerpur namely are on the other end of the boundary.

Climatic Limitations

The climatic is extreme in this region ranging from nearly 0° C in winter to approaching

49° C in summer. Lack of rainfall and intense heat has converted this region into an arid

sandunes covered barren section of the state. This region is basically a desertic one, rich and

worthy in terms of its fossil fuels (Map 2).

Map 2: Land Use and Land cover Map of Rajasthan

*Source : National Natural Resource Management System, ISRO

The land use and cover of the state is clear in the map below, which highlights that the

western border districts majorly come under the sandy, scrub, salt affected, Rann region where

the level of urbanization is very low (Map 3). The Ganganagar district is fertile and has water

availability thus is covered under agriculture mainly.



Map 3: Wasteland Map of Rajasthan

*Source : National Natural Resource Management System, ISRO

IV. Methodology:

This study is based on data obtained from National Remote Sensing Agency Dehradun.

Urban Frame survey and Gate way to India observation have been the chief tools of

investigation. The data from Government of Rajasthan official reports and documentations.

Central Statistics Organisation, Government of India Bhuvan, NRSA have been the basis of

examination. Field survey, case studies, personal interviews and observation technique have

been used for geopolitical analysis. During the study focus was on government documentations

related to the declaration of Radcliffe Commission and the repercussions of the partition on the

urban growth and demographic scenario have been taken under consideration.

Security Implications: Along the entire length of this border, this region has a tall wall of

barbed-wire fencing stands erect. It has high voltage electric flood-lights illuminate it at night.

The alert jawans (soldiers) patrol the border using vehicles and camels, day in and day out. The

high observation posts are manned by armed Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers watching in

all directions. The study reveals that while Rajasthan as a whole ranks quite low on the

development scale, in the border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner the situation is

even worse. Lack of growth centers, markets, industries, colleges, hospitals, dispensaries,

recreational areas, mother and child welfare centers, rural primary health centers is the concern

there, one can only imagine the skewed distribution of these resources from the main city to the

far off border districts. The impact of Radcliff line on the border districts of Rajasthan is also

analyzed depending upon the relationship between both the countries on each side.



Implication of Radcliff Line (Massive Population exchanges)

Ramachandra Guha [1] has rightly noted that generally works on history end on the precise

date of 15th

August 1947. The domain of „History‟ ends with India attaining Independence,

and where history ends political science, civics and economics begins. Guha argues that this is

a wrong assumption—history persists, and hence there should be more works on post

Independence India.[2]Taking this argument further, Sekhar Bandopadyay writes: „We may

perhaps further add that while the Historians finished their inquiries on 15thAugust 1947, the

political scientist and sociologists did not quite begin until the 1950‟s—that is not until the

new institutions had taken proper shape in India and started functioning effectively.[3]

Hartshorne [4] pointed out that new boundary lines are disruptive to local associations

through their nature as a tariff wall. After partition, the Radcliff region became a zone of

transition where about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the

relative safety of religious majority. Census 1951 states that around 7.2 million Muslims went

to Pakistan from India while approximately the same number of Hindus and Sikhs moved to

India from Pakistan immediately after partition. The following figure Indicates State wise

population of Hindus in Pakistan.

Economy Development

The lack of industries here is due to a number of factors, lack of raw material like water,

electricity, markets, lack of basic education and health facilities, insufficient irrigation and

drinking water facilities, poor road connectivity, lack of skilled manpower etc. Large livestock

offers opportunities for development of livestock based agro processing industries, like sheep

wool carpet making, using animal waste products like hides, skins, bones etc. Rajasthan state

support in the form of investment remains limited, moreover, the state has not invested in

systematic schemes for livestock rearing. However, livestock is largely migrating for want of

drinking water and fodder. While the desert state of Rajasthan as a whole ranks quite low on

the development scale, in the border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner the situation is

even worse. Lack of hospitals, dispensaries, mother and child welfare centers, rural primary

health centers is the concern there, one can only imagine the skewed distribution of these

resources from the main city to the far off border districts.

The Resource Development

* Source: http://wikimapia.org/14330807/Sri-Ganganagar

http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/indiaatglance.html

Ganganagar

http://wikimapia.org/14330807/Sri-Ganganagar




The Indira Gandhi Canal Project in this area has contributed in increasing the humidity of this

region to around 40%, which is like a boon to the agricultural sector of the state. Still

investment on the Western side of Radcliff remains typically low.

The Bikaner region has ample number of cottage and small sacle industries.Specially the

brick making, leather making ,handicraft industries are very popular here. It also important

lignite coal reserve belt.

*Source: http://www.travelsrajasthan.com/download/barmer_road_map.htm


Barmer

To the east of NH15 (Map 4), British oil major Cairn Energy has made one of its most

significant oil finds in the Mangala fields of Barmer in 2004, marking the beginning of a major

shift in the economy. This was followed by the 1,080 MW power plant by the Barmer Lignite

*Source: http://www.statistics.rajasthan.gov.in/socio_Bikaner.aspx


Bikaner

http://www.travelsrajasthan.com/download/barmer_road_map.htm


http://www.statistics.rajasthan.gov.in/socio_Bikaner.aspx




Mining Company Limited (BLMCL) a joint venture of the Rajasthan Government and Jindal

Energy which was set up in February 2009. Overnight, the town of Barmer saw something of a

facelift, land on the Eastern side of NH 15 was now being sold for millions of rupees. But

while the discovery of oil has meant immense prosperity for some, it has had no trickle down

effects to other areas, especially those on the Western side

*Source: http://www.jaisalmertourism.com/jaisalmer-map.html


Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer: Tanot, Ramgarh Sadhewala popular for natural gas reserves have nearly changed the

scenario of this region to some extent. National Highway 15, connecting Samakhiali in Gujarat

with Pathankot in Punjab, acts as a sort of border within the border region of Barmer, creating

a division between the more developed Eastern part and its poorer Western counterpart. The

Atomic tests in Pokhran (Jaisalmer) has given it a strategically important place in the world

platform. Though the western side of NH15 remains undeveloped still. The Western front still

remains largely rural with a complete lack of even basic facilities.

V. Result and Discussion:

The study of border areas and the impact of the Radcliffe‟s Line cutting through it is one

area which has gathered immense significance. Willem van Schendel and Ranabir Sammadar

have presented pioneering works in this direction pertaining to the Bengal Frontier.20 The

borderland experience of Partition was immediate and acute and therefore differed from the

experience of Partition in other parts of South Asia.‟[5]

http://www.jaisalmertourism.com/jaisalmer-map.html




Geo-Political Scenario : This hastily drawn up border remains as an open wound, even if

dressed in the colorful bandage of Wagah‟s daily flag-lowering ceremony. Under the Foreigner

(Protected Areas) Act, foreigners are required to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit

these areas, along with acquiring an Indian visa. As per the notification of the Ministry of

Home Affairs, certain border areas of Barmer (Gadra Road, Ramsar, Binjrad, Sedwa,

Bakhusar, Girab, Chohtan), Jaisalmer (Nachna, Mohangarh, Ramgarh, Shahgarh, Jhinjhinyali,

Nokh, Khusi, Sum), Bikaner (Bajju, Pugal, Chattargarh, Khajuwala) and Jellore (Sanchore,

Chitalwana, Sarwana) are declared to be notified areas where access was prohibited unless a

special permission. As a result of the restrictions, investment in these border areas has

remained quite low. Even Indian citizens who are not residents of these specified areas require

an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter these places, thereby restricting mobility. There are a

number of military ranges in Rajasthan in Khetolai, Pokhran and Ramgarh, causing

dispossession, displacement and loss of control of the indigenous population over their lands.

Alongside, more than 8 lakh land mines were laid along the 1,040 km stretch of the India-

Pakistan border in Rajasthan. The minefields extended as far as six to eight kilometers from the

border and were planted in cultivated and uncultivated land, on farming and grazing land,

around infrastructure and around villages in defensive positions. Surveillance in battlefield is

one the essential components of battlefield management. Satellite imagery plays a vital role in

surveillance and visualization of the battlefield. Geographical Information System (GIS)

integrated with high resolution satellite imagery provides vital inputs in decision making

process.

Smuggling and illegal infiltrations

There have been serious concerns of illegal movements and smuggling in this region. The

following table 1 highlights the same.

Table 1: Showing the of villages inhabited by refugees in the border areas of Rajasthan

*Source: ‘’Border Dialogues Bani Gill, Peace print: A South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding

Districts Name of Blocks /Places where refugees

have been rehabilated

Number of villages

inhabited by refugees

Barmer Shiv 80

Chotan 86

Ramsar 53

Bikaner Kolayat 20

Pugal 27

Jaisalmer Rural area 28

Urban area 3

Jodhpur Outskirts 6



Though fencing has succeeded in curtailing smuggling and other „illegal‟ activities rampant on

the border to some extent. The UNCHR report on world‟s state of refugees put this figure of

involuntary migration at around 12-17 millions who have migrated to neighboring Indian

states. The Thar Express link is also a remarkable component of the Radcliff region. Restored

in 2006 it connects Karachi to Jodhpur in India; Munabao and Khokhrapar being the last two

railway stations on the India-Pakistan border. While the physical distance may only be that of a

couple of hours, due to security reasons and under the guise of the protected areas act, people

are forced to go all the way to Jodhpur, spend long hours. The priority zone for the BADP is

about 0-40 kilometers from the fence. While this works in regions like Barmer and Bikaner,

which have village districts located very close to the border, in areas like Jaisalmer where

villages are located slightly farther away, this categorization of the priority zone becomes a

problem.

Tensile Conditions in the Region

Spate (1947) gave a stimulating account of the delineation of Indo-Pak border and

described the general situation created by the partition in 1947. A chilling addition to the ever-

looming risk of war occurred in May 1998, when first India, then Pakistan conducted

successful test explosions of atomic bombs, raising the specter of fratricide by nuclear war.

The Indo-Pak partition,1965 war, Kashmir issue (war in 1971), Kargil war (1999) and

bombarding and firing in Oct, 2014 gives a sad impression about the border conditions. Sixty-

five years after the acrimonious divorce between India and Pakistan, the border remains a

throbbing wound of separation, yet a wound elemental to both nations‟ psyche. A brief country

comparison gives a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the two nations. Analysis state that

it is quite evident that India stands far ahead in most of the matters with respect to economic,

military or political strength. What is required is initiation for peace and harmony by the two

competiting States. Pertaining to the safety of the region around Radcliff, GeoInt. has been

used to safeguard the core data here. Even the satellites would not be able to reveal the regional

statistics as it is secured by GeoInt. Live data related to human resource, animal resource,

geographical scenario including climate, soil, water resources of the area are all concealed for

security reasons constrained by public use.

VI. Conclusion:

Krishan (1968) noticed the declining growth rate of population, both rural and urban in

the border districts of Indo-Pak border. This research emphasizes that it is important for the

state to be visible in border areas which while territorially being at the edge of a country,

assume central importance when it comes to policy centered around the concerns of state

security. On the contrary, these border areas seem to be the forgotten lands of the Indian

nation, only remembered in times of war. The Partition was a highly controversial

arrangement, and remains a cause of much tension on the subcontinent even today. Some



critics allege that British haste led to the cruelties of the Partition. Because independence was

declared prior to the actual Partition, it was up to the new governments of India and Pakistan to

keep public order. It was a task at which both states failed. There was a complete breakdown of

law and order; many died in riots, massacre, or just from the hardships of their flight to safety.

What ensued was one of the largest population movements in recorded history. What has

resulted is sad enough. Lack of basic facilities and access to resources such as water, education, health

care are issues that affect large parts of the country. But these issues take on a different dimension along

the Rajasthan border. Access to education and other basic facilities remains severely restricted in border

areas. The Indian state must be attendant to these concerns, and invest in the socio-economic growth of

the region. At the same time, these facilities should be made accessible to even the most marginalized

of social groups, particularly women, as nearly 75,000 women faced with some sort of violence during

partition.

Programs for construction of school buildings, hospitals and medical facilities to create

rural infrastructure that will better the livelihoods of people. It is thus imperative to have a

national level detailed survey of all border villages of Rajasthan to get extensive qualitative

and quantitative data on the issues affecting these areas as a whole, and for future planning of

funds and resources. The benefits of the oil discovery have not percolated to those most in

need. It thus stands to reason that at least a certain percentage of the profits reaped as a result

of the oil discovery be used for the benefit of the district as a whole. Rajasthan is a state rich in

minerals, the benefits of which seldom accrue to local populations. The state needs to step in to

ensure that local resources are used optimally for employment and income generation.

However, the imperatives of militarization and national security are severely at odds with

human security, and are a constant threat to the stability of the region and, by extension, that of

the nation state. Over ten million people both Hindus and Muslims were trekking from east to

west, in the opposite directions. Many of them never made it to their destinations. The violent

nature of the partition created an atmosphere of mutual hostility and suspicion between India

and Pakistan that plagues their relationship till this day. Let us be optimistic over the future

relations between the two countries, India and Pakistan, as the subcontinent has always lived

with difference but it has also known how to negotiate these differences and transcend them.

Today our world is facing a myriad of challenges across multiple scientific and cultural

disciplines to include natural resources, public safety, and national security.

References :

[1] Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of theWorld‟s largest Democracy,

London: Macmillan (2007).

[2] ekhar Bandopadhyay, Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in post-

Independence West Bengal, 1947-52, London: Routledge (2009), p. 1

[3] Sekhar Bandopadhyay, Decolonization in South Asia: Meanings of Freedom in post

Independence West Bengal, 1947-52, London: Routledge (2009), p. 1



[4] Hartshorne, Richard. 1939. The Nature of Geography. Lancaster, Penn.: Association of

American Geographers. © 1939 Association of American Geographers. Reprinted with

permission.

[5] Willem van Schendel, The Bengal Borderland:Beyond State and Nation in South Asia,

London: Anthem Press (2005) p. 25

[6] Bhattacharya, Manoshi. 2008. The Royal Rajputs: Strange Tales and Stranger Truths.

Rupa & Co, New Delhi.

[7] Bridges, Donna M. (2010). A Structured Geospatial Analytic Method and Pedagogy for

the Intelligence Community. International Association of Law Enforcement

Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) Journal. 19 (1).

[8] Gahlot, Sukhvirsingh. 1992. RAJASTHAN: Historical & Cultural. J. S. Gahlot

Research Institute, Jodhpur.

[9] Ghosh, Sahana. “Cross-Border Activities in Everyday Life: The Bengal Borderland.” In

Contemporary South Asia. India: Routledge, 2011. Government of Rajasthan and

Planning Commission of India. Barmer District Human Development Report, 2009.

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