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Author: Pramod Kumar Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: December 16, 2005
Nearly half of Indo-Bangla fence is gone ---- It's an opportunity that the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) will not allow to go waste. The swelling rivers on the Indo-Bangla border have damaged close to half of the 854km long border fencing, thus facilitating infiltration by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
Owing to stiff resistance from the BDR, the Border Security Force (BSF)'s floating Border Outposts (BOPs) are unable to function in certain sectors. The gravity of the illegal infiltration can be judged from the fact that Bangladesh nationals are now swimming under the raised fencing and infiltrating into Indian territory.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday admitted in Parliament that 365 kms of fencing out of 854 kms erected under Phase-I has been damaged due to waterlogging and floods. Replying to a question raised by Dr Chandan Mitra, Member of Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs S Reghupathy confirmed the damage in the Upper House but said that regular inspection of the barbed wire and pillars was being carried out.
Mr Reghupathy said, "Sometimes attempts are made by criminals and illegal infiltrators to cross the fencing either by negotiating or by breaching the same or by crossing through water channels".
Aware of the infiltration by Bangladesh nationals, BSF has been maintaining round the clock surveillance, patrolling on foot, by boats and vehicles. Several observation posts had been erected following the extensive damage to the fences.
BSF is in the process of upgrading its intelligence network with the help of central security agencies. The Government has also introduced modern surveillance equipment including night vision devices, the Minister said.
The Government has also sanctioned 3,656 posts in various ranks under Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners (PIF) and Mobile Task Force (MTF) to check illegal infiltration from the Bangladesh side, Mr Reghupathy added.
When asked about the situation along the Indo-Bangla border, a senior BSF officer said that the force was helping construction agencies to put up fences and build roads along the borders.
Phase-II of the project in the West Bengal sector involving nine bordering districts is yet to be completed. According to the statistics available with the MHA, Land Acquisition cases totalling 65 kms in nine bordering districts is yet to be realised owing to the lack of interest by the West Bengal Government in providing lands for the same.
Till date it has just provided around 15 km of land at or more than 150 yards from the International Border, despite the fact that the stretch of 65 kms has been recording maximum infiltration. District administrations of the North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Dakshin Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts have been very slow in acquiring the land.
Over 463km long area passing through the bordering districts is yet to be secured by fencing. A total of 108.3 km falls under difficult terrain and riverine areas that cannot be fenced.
India has already fenced around 2,000 km and has set an ambitious target to complete fencing 3,286 km of the 4,096 km long border by March 2006. The remaining border cannot be fenced as the terrain is either riverine or has thick vegetation.
Apart from the difficult terrain, delay in forest clearance by the State Governments has also added to the problem, a fact corroborated by the MHA.
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