Guwahati: The Centre on Saturday assured the Assam government and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) that the erection of barbed wire fencing along the Assam-asuiBangladesh border would be completed by December. The Centre has also promised steps for the floodlighting of the border areas to check infiltration across the India-Bangladesh border.

The Centre's assurances came amidst a "war like situation" prevailing in the Katigorah sector of Cachar district on the border with the Border Security Forces (BSF) rushing additional troops and the administration ordering closure of schools and asking about 250 families to evacuate to safer places following troops build-up and digging up of trenches by the Bangladesh Rifles(BDR).

The assurances were given by Union Secretary for Border Area Management B.S. Lalli at a tripartite meeting among the Centre, State government and the AASU held here to review implementation of the Assam Accord.

Mr. Lalli is scheduled to inspect the 32-km stretch of the Assam-Bangladesh border. The BSF and BDR exchanged heavy fire in the Katigora sector in June.

Emerging from the meeting, Assam Chief Secretary S. Kabilan told reporters that Centre has also promised to provide full assistance to the State government in tackling with the flood and erosion problem.

Encroachment alleged

The Union Secretary is also understood to have been asked by the Ministry of Home Affairs to take stock of the ground situation in view of the Assam government revealing in the Assembly that Bangladesh had encroached 499.83 acres of Assam's land. The revelation made by Assam Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman also rocked the Parliament. Apart from seeking a status report from the state government and the BSF, the Ministry has also asked Mr. Lalli to submit a report on the matter and the situation prevailing along the border by Monday, sources said.

Warning not heeded

The AASU delegation alleged that the tense situation along the Assam-Bangladesh border was the result of the Centre and successive governments at Dispur not heeding its warning against the unabated influx of illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Islamic Fundamentalist elements through the porous border. They expressed resentment at the tripartite meeting that the Assam-Bangladesh border was still open even after 21 years of signing of the Assam Accord.

Initiating the discussion at the tripartite meeting, Mr. Lalli said that the Central Government sincerely wants full implementation of the Assam Accord at the earliest. He said, the Central and State Governments, the AASU and all concerned are to work in tandem to ensure early completion of the implementation process in respect of the remaining works under the Accord.

AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyyatermed the meeting anew beginning and urged the Government to speed up the completion of all the remaining works. He said that the AASU expected concrete outcome from the talks on full implementation of the Assam Accord and its time-bound implementation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail