Border alert ahead of Modi's northeast visit

Security forces are keeping a strict vigil along India's border with Bangladesh and Myanmar ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the northeast by November-end, an official said here Saturday.

"The BSF (Border Security force) and Assam Rifles have been asked to maintain maximum alert along the borders...," a top government official told IANS.

The BSF guards the border with Bangladesh, while Assam Rifles personnel guard the border with Myanmar.

Four northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, while Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640-km unfenced border with Myanmar.

Modi will be on his first visit to five northeastern state to attend a series of programmes.

He last visited the state as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.

During his visit, Modi is likely to meet the chief ministers of all the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim, in Guwahati Nov 29. He will also inaugurate the annual conference of state police chiefs in Guwahati on the same day.

He is scheduled to visit Tripura Nov 29, Manipur Nov 30, Nagaland Dec 1 and Arunachal Pradesh Dec 2. However, his itinerary is likely to be slightly rescheduled.

In Nagaland, Modi will inaugurate the state's biggest festival - 'Hornbill Festival' - and in Manipur he will inaugurate the 'Sangai Festival' which showcases the diverse cultures of Manipur.

In Tripura, Modi will inaugurate the second unit of the 726-MW power project in Palatana in southern Tripura.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has commissioned its biggest ever commercial power project (726 MW) at Palatana in southern Tripura.

The power generation from the first unit (363 MW) of the Rs.9,000-crore Palatana power plant began December 2013 and the second unit (363 MW) is expected to start generation after its inauguration.