India-Bangladesh Home Secretary talks begin

New Delhi, Aug 2: The eighth round of India-Bangladesh Home Secretary-level talks began here this morning with focus on security, cross-border terrorism, border management and flood control.

Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta is leading the Indian side at the two-day talks while his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammed Abdul Karim is heading his country's delegation. The Director General of the Border Security Force and the Director General, Bangladesh Rifles, are also participating in the deliberations.

The issues of internal security, embankment, flood control, fencing of border and terrorism are being discussed at the meeting.

Terrorists and criminals crossing the border after committing crimes would also come up especially ULFA leaders staying in Bangladesh.

The issue of starting train service between Kolkata and Dhaka may also be discussed. The issue had come up earlier at the Additional Secretary-level talks in Kolkata recently where India insisted on fencing of railway tracks to protect them while Bangladesh had said it would consider the demand.

The issue may be resolved during these talks, home ministry sources said.

The Bangladeshi delegation would also visit the National Police Academy at Hyderabad before it returns to Dhaka.

The talks were part of the bilateral institutional mechanism set up in 1994 to resolve security and border management issues. Former Home Secretary V K Duggal had visited Dhaka for talks last year.

UNI