AGARTALA, June 20 � Despite good relations between BSF and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), the North East insurgent groups including NSCN and NLFT have around 45 hideouts in Bangladesh, said BSF�s Special DG BD Sharma.
�Our relation with BGB is good and they are highly cooperative. Even, today morning I spoke to DG of BGB, Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed over phone. Despite this, as many as 45 militant camps of North East-based militant organisation still exist in Bangla soil�, he said today while speaking to media persons at Salbagan, BSF Tripura Frontier headquarters.
Sharma who arrived here to take stock of the border situation, said the insurgents could not be fully wiped out from Bangladesh soil because deployment of BGB was thin compared to requirement. �They are now raising new forces and we hope that the situation would improve soon. Besides, the terrain and riverine border also come in the way of maintaining effective border vigil�, he pointed out.
Of the total 45 militant camps, ultras from Tripura have 21 hideouts, mostly belonging to two banned outfits � All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT).
Sharma said, �No border can be properly protected only by guns. Massive development projects are required for socio-economic upliftment of people living in both sides of the border. Considering these aspects, BSF proposed to the Ministry of Home Affairs for setting up 60 border haats (markets) in the eastern border, so that people from both sides could sell their local products in those markets�.
Of the 60 border haats, 22 were proposed in Meghalaya, 32 in West Bengal, four in Tripura and two in Assam. Sharma said, out of about 4,000 km border with Bangladesh, barbed wire fencing would be erected in 3,314 km, of which 2,418 km has already been fenced and works are in progress in 342 km.
�So, about 70 per cent of the border is now fenced�, he said. Sharma said that 3,061 km of the Indo-Bangla border would be illuminated by flood lighting to check smuggling and border crimes. Of this, 1732 km have already been illuminated. It is 57 per cent of the total works, he added.
