Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha revealed that approximately 47.584 km of the Tripura-Bangladesh border remains unfenced due to obstacles posed by the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB).
Responding to inquiries from opposition MLAs Nayan Sarkar and Ranjit Debbarma in the assembly on Monday, Saha outlined specific obstacles across six districts, including Unakoti, Khowai, North Tripura, Sepahijala, Dhalai, and South Tripura.
Saha detailed the unfenced areas, citing 65 meters in Unakoti obstructed by the BGB and the Land Customs Station, 405 meters in Khowai lacking fencing due to riverine water flow, and 400 meters in North Tripura facing obstacles from a high cliff. Sepahijala, with a significant portion of the international border, grapples with a 6.556 km-long unfenced area. Dhalai district has 37.610 km unfenced, attributed to factors like engineering goods movement, heavy vehicle traffic during road renovation, international agreements, and water flow of the Dhalai River. South Tripura witnesses approximately 2.548 km lacking fencing, with construction paused for a gate at Dashmighat in Sabroom following land acquisition.
The Tripura government officially notified the Central Government’s Ministry on February 5 2021, to expedite the unfinished Border Fencing work. A review meeting in Agartala on November 13 2021, with the presence of the Secretary of Border Management of the Central Government, directed agencies to accelerate completion. However, despite regular progress assessments by the state government, there is no information from the central government regarding the expected completion date.
It may be mentioned that Border Security Force (BSF) officials revealed 744 individuals, including 112 Rohingyas, were apprehended while attempting to illegally enter India from Bangladesh through the International Border in Tripura on January 2, 2024. Tripura shares 856 km of the International Border with Bangladesh, emphasising the significance of securing the unfenced sections to prevent unauthorized crossings and maintain border integrity.
