BSF deploys Kisan guards for Tripura farmers in border areas

Agartala, May 21 (UNI) The BSF today deployed about 1000 Kisan guards in a number of locations in Tripura to provide security to the Indian farmers whose cultivable land was fenced out following barbed wires along the Indo-Bangla border.

Talking to newspersons here, Inspector General of BSF Tripura Frontier J A Khan said a few hectares of agricultural land belonging to Indian farmers was fenced out because of erection of barbed wires within 150 yards from the zero line along the Tripura-Bangladesh border.

According to the Home Ministry's guideline, 790 gates had been constructed in the fenced areas for civilian movement and Kisan guards were deployed for providing security to the farmers.

The jawans escorted the farmers while they were working in the fields, Mr Khan stated.

He said the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) had objected to the fencing in 110 patches, spread over 53 km along the border, but fencing had already been done in 59 patches covering 31 km within 100 yards from zero line following mutual agreement between the BSF and BDR.

Mr Khan pointed out that about 632 km of the 856 km international border along Tripura had already been fenced, while 178 km was under construction.

He said the National Project Construction Corporation (NPCC) was facing serious problems with the fencing of the 120 km stretch in the south-eastern part in Mizoram and Bangladesh due to the peculiar topography and the work virtually collapsed.

Appreciating the caretaker government in Bangladesh, the BSF officials said, ''Relation between the BSF and BDR has improved a lot during the past couple of months and the BDR, for the first time, returned the cattle which were taken away by the Bangladeshi dacoits in South Tripura a few days back.'' UNI BB DPM KK RN KP1620