India's Eastern Frontier best in terms of relations, security: BSF

India's Eastern Frontier is the best International Border in terms of relations, security and other aspects with the neighbours, a top BSF official said here on Sunday.

The remark was made by the Border Security Force's (BSF) Tripura frontier's officiating Inspector General (IG) Ashok Kumar Yadav, after he flagged-off the "Adventure Visit of School Children of BSF to Bangladesh".

It is an initiative where 24 school children of BSF families on Sunday went to Bangladesh as part of confidence-building measures between the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

"India-Bangladesh relations are always very good and in the past several years, these ties including the dealings between the border guards of the two neighbours are gradually improving," he told the media at the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) international integrated check-post.

"During the five-day tour, the children would be exposed to excursion and mountaineering in rocky and plateau areas of Jaflong in Sylhet district. They would also have the opportunity to visit Ratargul forest area to see Mangroves which are sustainable in marshy land and water. The children from Sylhet would go to Dhaka, where they would visit various monuments and historical places," Yadav said.

They will also visit the Bangladesh National Museum, National Martyrs' Memorial, Gazipur Safari Park, Bangladesh Centres for Development Management in Rajendrapur and the Dhaka cantonment area.

The official said that during the school students' stay in Peelkhana, the children of BGB families would organise a cultural function.

The students will return to Agartala on February 21.

This is the first time school children are going to Bangladesh from the northeastern region of India.

"Earlier this month a batch of school children belonging to BGB families visited West Bengal on a similar mission," the BSF official said.

Yadav said that this initiative would not only acquaint the children with the rich social and cultural heritage of both the countries, but it would also go a long way in strengthening the ties and friendly relations between the two border frontier forces.

The four northeastern states -- Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) -- share a 1,880-km International Border with Bangladesh, a large portion of which is unfenced.

--IANS

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