Influx serious threat to Assam: BSF
Influx serious threat to Assam: BSF
Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 25 – Conceding that illegal influx from Bangladesh has assumed serious dimension in Assam, AK Mitra, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF), claimed that infiltration from across the border has come down in recent years. Even as the issue of illegal influx continues to rock Assam and other North-eastern States, the BSF unveiled a plan to identify the vulnerable areas along the international border before starting joint patrolling of the sensitive sectors to curb illegal infiltration.
The BSF chief’s candid admission about demographic changes in certain districts of Assam may not make much difference on the ground because he maintained that it was not physically possible to guard every quarter of the 4000-km-long international border with the same ‘intensity’.
The basis of the BSF DG’s contention over decrease in illegal influx was that the number of infiltrators caught sneaking into India was around 805 last year, down from 10,000-12,000 five years ago.
Mitra also admitted that fencing work was yet to be completed. The BSF has not been given the responsibility of constructing the fences, though in those areas where we had been given the job, we have completed,” he said.
A delegation of BSF, which returned from Dhaka this morning after taking part in a five-day DG-level BSF and Bangladesh Rifles talks, reported a mix bag. While in certain contentious areas there was little forward movement, in others some progress was reported. The BSF has made an assessment of the vulnerable and sensitive areas along the international border, said Mitra.
A list of the vulnerable areas was submitted to the DG BDR, which would study it and respond. “This is a time-bound exercise and by September, we will exchange the list,” he said.
BSF has proposed joint patrolling of the vulnerable areas where forces are proposed to be strength. The BSF identified a few sectors in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Dawki in Meghalaya as some of the vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, BSF has taken over maintenance of border pillars following a request by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as they were found to be in poor shape in States like Assam. District magistrates of the concerned districts were maintaining the border pillars.
BSF would henceforth look after odd number border pillars, while BDR would maintain even number pillars, said Mitra.
Referring to the various dimension of the problem, he cited the example of Karimganj district, where he said the border was most porous and there is no fence. The situation is slightly better in other sectors.
The BSF chief then made startling revelation when he said that 12 lakh Bangaldeshis who entered the country legally between 1972 and 2005 have not gone back to their country and are now traceless.
The BSF DG, meanwhile, said that there was some forward movement in checking cattle smuggling. He asserted that 90 per cent of the incidents of firing across India-Bangladesh border is because of cattle smuggling, which has become an industry.
The BSF and BDR have now decided to coordinate on checking the movement of cattle. Two areas of South Bengal have been identified as the most vulnerable. “I am not hopeful of checking cattle smuggling but I am willing to go the extra mile,” he said.
The two border guarding forces also agreed to check incidents of border firing by real time exchange of information between the sector commanders.
The major breakthrough came in the area of development activity in border area. The meeting decided all development of work pertaining to border not covered by joint water communication. The development works were hampered because of the insistence of the BDR on no construction work within 150 yards of the international border.
Taking a re-look at the problem, it was identified that there were 265 such patches of which 46 were found to be addressable.
Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 25 – Conceding that illegal influx from Bangladesh has assumed serious dimension in Assam, AK Mitra, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF), claimed that infiltration from across the border has come down in recent years. Even as the issue of illegal influx continues to rock Assam and other North-eastern States, the BSF unveiled a plan to identify the vulnerable areas along the international border before starting joint patrolling of the sensitive sectors to curb illegal infiltration.
The BSF chief’s candid admission about demographic changes in certain districts of Assam may not make much difference on the ground because he maintained that it was not physically possible to guard every quarter of the 4000-km-long international border with the same ‘intensity’.
The basis of the BSF DG’s contention over decrease in illegal influx was that the number of infiltrators caught sneaking into India was around 805 last year, down from 10,000-12,000 five years ago.
Mitra also admitted that fencing work was yet to be completed. The BSF has not been given the responsibility of constructing the fences, though in those areas where we had been given the job, we have completed,” he said.
A delegation of BSF, which returned from Dhaka this morning after taking part in a five-day DG-level BSF and Bangladesh Rifles talks, reported a mix bag. While in certain contentious areas there was little forward movement, in others some progress was reported. The BSF has made an assessment of the vulnerable and sensitive areas along the international border, said Mitra.
A list of the vulnerable areas was submitted to the DG BDR, which would study it and respond. “This is a time-bound exercise and by September, we will exchange the list,” he said.
BSF has proposed joint patrolling of the vulnerable areas where forces are proposed to be strength. The BSF identified a few sectors in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Dawki in Meghalaya as some of the vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, BSF has taken over maintenance of border pillars following a request by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as they were found to be in poor shape in States like Assam. District magistrates of the concerned districts were maintaining the border pillars.
BSF would henceforth look after odd number border pillars, while BDR would maintain even number pillars, said Mitra.
Referring to the various dimension of the problem, he cited the example of Karimganj district, where he said the border was most porous and there is no fence. The situation is slightly better in other sectors.
The BSF chief then made startling revelation when he said that 12 lakh Bangaldeshis who entered the country legally between 1972 and 2005 have not gone back to their country and are now traceless.
The BSF DG, meanwhile, said that there was some forward movement in checking cattle smuggling. He asserted that 90 per cent of the incidents of firing across India-Bangladesh border is because of cattle smuggling, which has become an industry.
The BSF and BDR have now decided to coordinate on checking the movement of cattle. Two areas of South Bengal have been identified as the most vulnerable. “I am not hopeful of checking cattle smuggling but I am willing to go the extra mile,” he said.
The two border guarding forces also agreed to check incidents of border firing by real time exchange of information between the sector commanders.
The major breakthrough came in the area of development activity in border area. The meeting decided all development of work pertaining to border not covered by joint water communication. The development works were hampered because of the insistence of the BDR on no construction work within 150 yards of the international border.
Taking a re-look at the problem, it was identified that there were 265 such patches of which 46 were found to be addressable.
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