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Rajnath meets CMs of Bangladesh bordering states, looks to expedite setting up of additional outposts

Lack of land becoming a major cause of concern.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal addressing the media after a meeting on Indo-Bangla border at Nabanna in Kolkata on Thursday
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Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, on Thursday after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and representatives of other states which share their borders with Bangladesh, failed to provide any solution to the setting up of 89 additional border outposts (BOPs) of the Border Security Force (BSF). The work has been kept in abeyance owing to the unavailability of land.

After a two-hour meeting at Nabanna, the state secretariat, which, Singh described as ‘very fruitful’ during interaction with mediapersons, the Union minister, when asked about the issue at hand, said, “West Bengal chief minister has assured me of all necessary cooperation on making land available both for setting up new BOPs as well as for raising barbed fence at the unfenced borders. I have requested the representatives of all the five states having borders with Bangladesh to take personal interest to expedite land acquisition in the interest of national security.”

He admitted that of the 4096 km long Indo-Bangladesh border across the five states, only 3006 km had barbed fence, roads, floodlights and BOPs. “Work for the rest of 1,090 km is yet to be started. Of the 1,090 kilometre, 684 km will be secured with fence and related infrastructure, while 406 km will be covered by non-physicial barrier,” Singh said.

Non-physical barrier would comprise technological intervention such as radar, day-night cameras and sensors. He added that a border protection grid consisting of both physical and non-physical barriers will be in place and will be manned together by state police as well as state and Central agencies. “The grid will be supervised by a state level standing committee which would function under the chairmanship of the government’s working chief secretary,” he said.

Questioned about the Rohingya issue, he said that discussions regarding it had been done in detail during the meeting. “It has been agreed by all that we all will have to be careful of illegal immigration taking into consideration the security of the country,” he said.

Others present at the meeting were Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for home affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam and Lal Thanwala, Chief Minister of Mizoram.  Meghalaya was represented by its chief secretary and Tripura by its home secretary.

 

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