India building infrastructure along Bangladesh border to tighten vigil

The Border Security Force (BSF) is strengthening infrastructure to enhance vigil along the border with Bangladesh, a senior BSF official said here on Friday.

"There are 245 BOPs (Border Out Posts) along India-Bangladesh border within Tripura of which 65 BOPs are being converted to composite BOPs for strict vigil and domination in the frontiers," Inspector General of BSF, Tripura Frontier, B.N. Sharma told reporters.

He said: "So far 25 composite BOPs have been set up and the work for the remaining BOPs is on. Three to four times bigger than the normal BOPs, the composite BOPs are being set up along the border to provide more security and basic facilities to the BSF jawans."

The composite BOPs would also provide better logistic support, uninterrupted power supply, recreation and other facilities to the BSF personnel which would help maintain round-the-clock vigil along the border.

Sharma said the traditional BOPs were makeshift structures and the BSF troopers faced numerous problems during harsh weather.

He said that barbed wire fencing could not be erected in some sections due to hostile terrain and human habitations just along the border. However, despite all the constraints work is progressing, he said.

"Border fencing could check infiltration, movement of inimical elements and extremists and border smuggling," the BSF IG said.

India is erecting a barbed wire fence and putting up floodlights along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal (2216 km), Tripura (856 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km) and Mizoram (318 km) to check trans-border movement of militants and curb border crimes.

The mountainous terrain, dense forests and other hindrances make the unfenced borders porous and vulnerable, letting illegal immigrants and intruders cross over without any hurdle.

The two neighbours have 2,979 km of land border and 1,116 km of riverine boundaries.

-