GUWAHATI, March 2? The All Assam Students? Union (AASU) on Saturday demanded creation of a Border Management Group with representatives from the Central Government, State Government, Assam Police and the Border Security Force (BSF), to keep a constant eye on the anti-infiltration measures along the Indo-Bangladesh border of the State. Besides, it also sought a permanent arrangement for joint patrolling along the entire stretch of the international border in this part of the country, by the Assam Police and the BSF.
Addressing a press conference at the Swahid Nyas Bhawan here this noon, AASU advisor, Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya and the student body?s president and general secretary respectively Prabin Boro and Amiya Kumar Bhuyan, also called for invoking a shoot-at-sight order along the international border, like in the western sector of the country? along the Indo-Pak border ? to put a check on the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into this part of the country. They also demanded completion of the barbed wire fencing, construction of roads and provision of flood lights along the entire stretch of the international border on a war-footing, besides charging the fences with live electric wires and stepping up strictest of vigilance on the rivers and land parts of the border against infiltrators. They gave six months time for completing the barbed wire fences and border roads.
The AASU leaders said that the above demands were not new for the Government at the Centre and in the State as those reflected the decision of the tripartite discussions among the Central and State Governments and the AASU on the issue of implementation of the Assam Accord. But, what evokes concern is the miserable failure of both the Governments to take appropriate steps to implement the said decisions. While the State Government failed to erect the barbed wire fences along the entire stretch of the Indo-Bangla border despite its receiving fund from the Central Government for the purpose, the Central Government also failed to keep its promise on deploying adequate number of BSF personnel along the Indo-Bangla border.
Elaborating, they said that in the 41-km-stretch of the border in the Dhubri sector, during their recent visit on February 28 last along with State?s Ministers Hemprakash Narayan and Pradyut Bardoloi and senior State Government officials, they found that only 14 BSF border outposts were there, against a requirement of around 32 such outposts.
Moreover, there was no fencing in the trijunctures involving Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, West Bengal and Bangladesh at three different locations. On the other hand, in the Karimganj sector, though there is a border road on this side of the border, there is no fencing. Moreover in a 2.8 km stretch of the border, between Dumabari and Latitila, in the same sector, boundary demarcation is still awaited, the AASU leaders claimed. Due to the lack of maintenance of the barbed wire fences by the BSF, the existing border fences are now in a wretched condition in the Mancachar area of Dhubri sector. Ridiculous attempts are seen made by the BSF in some parts to cover the parts of the fences damaged by rust with tree branches, while in the Jordanga area of this sector, thee is no fencing, the AASU leaders claimed.
Lack of maintenance by the CPWD has also resulted in the deplorable condition of the existing border roads, they alleged. They also maintained that the bridges and the culverts built along the international border, are also not designed to frustrate the attempts of the Bangladeshi infiltrators to sneak into this part of the country using these structures as the cover while using the water ways. The situation has been compounded by the absence of adequate vigilance on the river ways across the border and the lack of sincerity on the part of the BSF in matters of checking infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals, the AASU leaders said. They, however, expressed satisfaction at the initiative demonstrated by the Congress Government in the State, so far, on matters concerning implementation of the Assam Accord, even though they maintained that the State Government should go for concrete steps in this regard to win confidence of the indigenous people of the State.