Poor quality border fencing annoys villagers in Tripura

Agartala, Jan 17 : Residents in the border regions of Tripura have alleged that the poor quality of the fencing on the border with Bangladesh is posing a serious security threat.

The Central Government has been fencing the border with Bangladesh border to prevent infiltration, cross-border smuggling and improve security in the area.

However, the people in Kalatilla in Northern Tripura District says that infiltration, militant movement, trans-border crime and smuggling has not stopped because of poor border fencing.

Concurring with their views, district administration authorities said the issue has been raised with the Central Government, which has promised to look into it.

"In some places, we found the quality of construction work was not good. Last time when, the Additional Secretary of the Home Department, Hamid came, we specifically told him that the fencing is not good and he assured at the ministry level, we will see what can be done," said Santanu Das, the District's Magistrate.

Fencing work was started around seven years ago and is in the last phase of completion.

It has made thousands of villagers landless, but they agreed to raise the fence in the hope of preventing miscreants and cattle lifters from crossing over into India from Bangladesh.

In the early nineties, Tripura demanded the total fencing of the Indo-Bangladesh border to curb illegal migration, the movement of militants to and in Bangladesh allegedly where they have their camps and rapid increasing in all types of border crime.

After several round of discussion, the Central Government decided to fence the 856 km. (excluding rivers) long Indo- Bangla international border, but in different phases.

When fencing work started in the state in 2000, several problems cropped up and at least 10000 families lost their house and agricultural land. Villagers now apprehend that their sacrifice has gone waste as the quality of the fencing is below standard.

ANI