New Delhi/Agartala, Oct 30
Former Tripura Chief Minister and incumbent Lok Sabha member Biplab Kumar Deb urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to complete the India-Bangladesh fencing in the remaining patches and tighten vigil along the frontier in view of the prevailing situation in the neighbouring country.
Deb, elected to the Lok Sabha from Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, in his letter to the Home Minister said that though proactive steps being taken by the Central government have prevented the infiltration, it appears that the strength of the BSF needs to be augmented for better guarding of the borders and to prevent any kind of adverse impact of Bangladesh situation on Tripura.
He told Amit Shah: "Now with the disturbed law and order situation in Bangladesh, there is a possibility of vested interests taking advantage of the porous border."
Deb, who last week became a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs, in his letter, accessed by IANS, said that the total length of the international border of Tripura with Bangladesh is 856 km, although most part of the border has been fenced but the border fencing is left only in about 26.64 km.
"It has been informed that there is no issue of land acquisition for undertaking border fencing work in the left-out area along the border and the construction agencies are carrying on the work of border fencing in the left-out portion, but at a very slow pace," he said.
The former Chief Minister said that the old border fencing which had been erected many years ago is in dilapidated and rusting condition as the same perhaps has not been properly maintained.
It is, therefore, requested that concerned agencies be directed for early completion of fencing of the left out portion and renovation of the old border fence, wherever needed, he pointed out.
According to a Border Security Force (BSF) official, currently, there are 18 battalions of border guarding force deployed on the 856 km India-Bangladesh border with Tripura.
In view of ongoing unrest and political crisis in Bangladesh, the BSF has stepped up its vigilance along the India-Bangladesh border with northeastern states and maintained close coordination with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at various levels, he added.
To heighten the security along the border, the BSF has also introduced a multi-pronged strategy to prevent trans-border crime and illegal infiltration, with state-of-the-art hand-held thermal imagers and drones have been inducted.