61.49 km of Indo-Bangladesh Border Still Remains Unfenced

* While 13.38 km falls in the land border stretch, 48.11 km is in the riverine portion

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Sept 24: As much as 61.49 km of the Assam portion of the Indo-Bangladesh border still remains open. This area constitutes 23.38 per cent of the total international border there. Of this portion, 13.38 km falls in the land border portion while 48.11 km is in the riverine border. This was revealed by Minister Industry and Commerce and Parliamentary affairs Chandra Mohan Patowary on the first day of the autumn session of Assam Assembly on Monday.

Replying to a query from Congress legislator Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Minister Patowary on behalf of the Border Protection & Development Department added that “201.51 km of the Assam portion of the Indo-Bangladesh border has been fenced with physical barriers.” He also stated that “13.38 km is yet to be fenced.”

Patowary pointed out that steps are on to seal the riverine border portion with non-physical barriers. Dwelling on floodlights in the border area, Patowary said that work is on. Floodlight provisions have been completed in Dhubri and South Salmara districts while in Cachar district floodlight work has proceeded 96% and in Karimganj district it is 60 per cent.

Meanwhile, in reply to another question from leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta on behalf of Assam Accord Implementation department said that the Central Government has set March 2019 as the deadline to complete fencing of the 48.11 km of riverine border with non-physical barriers like gyro/GPS, optic fibre cable etc.