Centre directs completing border fencing in Tripura by March

New Delhi: The Centre has directed completion of fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura by March next year. The directive was issued by Secretary, Border Management, in the Union Home Ministry Susheel Kumar to agencies erecting a fence along the border in Tripura sector.

This comes weeks after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh ordered that fencing along India-Bangladesh border in Assam be completed by June 2017. Infiltration and smuggling are major problems for both Assam and Tripura.

During a visit to the northeastern state on Sunday, Kumar had held a meeting with senior officials of the state, BSF and the construction agencies to review the works undertaken under Border Areas Development Programme (BADP), besides some others.

The Secretary has directed all the agencies to complete the work of erecting the fencing by March 2017, a Home Ministry statement said. Of the 4,096 km-long border that India shares with Bangladesh, 856 km falls in Tripura.

Kumar also said the issues regarding shifting of border population towards the home side of the fencing should be resolved amicably by the state government and BSF by engaging with people constructively.

The Secretary also called on Tripura?Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and discussed with him various issues related to the progress of border fencing work and border management.

Kumar expressed satisfaction over the progress of the works undertaken in the border areas. However, he said the work being executed by the National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC) in the most important eastern segment of the state needs to be expedited.

Kumar also visited remote and hilly area of Tripura North and Dhalai districts of the state and reviewed the progress of construction of the border road and fencing. At the strategically located Khantalang Border Out Post, the Secretary interacted with the field commanders and jawans of BSF.