BSF promotes Dawki as tourist destition

From A Correspondent

Shillong, Feb 24: The Border Security Force (BSF) has mooted to promote Dawki in West Jaintia Hills district and Kilapara in South West Garo Hills district as a tourist destition. This proposal was made during the director general level meeting of the BSF and the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) which was held from February 18 to 22 in Dhaka.

According to the Inspector General of BSF, Meghalaya Frontier, PK Dubey, the border tourism would showcase the border outposts along the Indo-Bangladesh border and Dawki and Kilapara has been chosen in Meghalaya.

In both the tourist spots, Dubey said that it has been proposed to have a joint ceremony in the evening such as joint flag hoisting by BSF and BGB personnel, photo exhibition, arms display, documentary screening of places for tourists to get some information about the areas as well as know the security issues along the border, besides construction of sheds, gallery and other facilities for tourists.

The Inspector General of the BSF, Meghalaya Frontier also said the BSF had already sent a proposal to the Ministry of Tourism in the Centre worth Rs 1 crore each for both these places and pending the proposal they are contemplating to construct basic amenities like toilets and provide drinking water to tourists who are already visiting these places.

Dubey said in Kilapara a war memorial already exists where plenty of articles connecting both India and Bangladesh are already on display.

Giving further details of the amenities that will be made available in these tourist spots the Inspector General of the BSF in the Meghalaya Frontier informed that the construction of a viewer’s gallery is on the anvil where tourists and locals alike can watch the retreat ceremony like the one in Wagah in Punjab along the India-Pakistan border.    

Dawki, about 81-km from here, and one of the revenue-generating export points, witnesses the visit of tourists, both foreign and domestic, in which, tourists from Bangladesh also converge close to the zero line, a point where the Umngot river starts its journey from Meghalaya’s border along Bangladesh.