Bangladesh obstructing sealing of 3.5 km border in Karimganj :

Assam government on Friday said Border Guards Bangladesh is obstructing the sealing of around 3.5 km on the Indo-Bangla border in Karimganj district.

Border sealing with barbed fencing is being done by central agencies like NPCC, CPWD and NBCC, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said responding to a Zero Hour notice by AGP member Prodip Hazarika in Assam Assembly.

"NBCC is working on a 4.5 km single line fence along the Kushiyara river in Karimganj. This will cover 3.5 km open area also. NBCC informed that work is progressing slowly there as the Border Guards Bangladesh is obstructing it," he said.

Replying on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who also holds the Border Areas Development portfolio, Patowary said that Ministry of Home Affairs was requested to sort out the issue by talking to the Ministry of External Affairs and Bangladesh government.

"At the 41st high level Empowered Committee Meeting, the Director of Ministry of External Affairs informed that no clarification could be obtained despite frequent contact with Bangladesh authorities," the Assam Minister stated.

"As per information from Assam Power Distribution Company Limited, around 40 per cent work for installing flood lights along the border in Karimganj is incomplete. The reasons cited for this are rainfall, communication bottleneck, right of way etc," Patowary added.