Opposition parties in Assam assembly on Tuesday raised a storm over inordinate delay in complete the fencing along the 263 km India-Bangladesh border in the state.
The parties demanded that the government set a deadline to complete the fencing work in the interest of national security given that the porous border is allegedly being used on terror mongers to infiltrate the country.
The opposition called upon the Congress government in Assam to urge the central government to show urgency in resolving border disputes with Bangladesh to facilitate completion of fencing work.
Opposition members in the assembly pointing out that even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the region after January 1 serial blasts in Guwahati, had underlined the need to accelerate the fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border and said that shouldn't be any excuse to delay completion of the fencing work along the porous border areas.
The porous sectors along the India-Bangladesh border have been in focus of late with security establishment in the country suspecting that it was being used by anti-India forces to infiltrate terrorists to attack different parts of the country.
The government of India is committed under Assam Accord that was signed in 1985 between the Centre and leaders of Assam agitation against illegal Bangladeshi nationals swarming the state. The border fencing work was in fact started over a decade ago but hasn't been completed yet.
Assam Accord Implementation Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman today informed Assam assembly that a 3.5 km portion of the border that passes through Karimganj town, a 2.87 km portion from Ratitila to Dhomabari in Karimganj district in South Assam and another 2.5 km portion in Dhubri district West Assam remain to be fenced because of unresolved disputes over land between the two countries.
