GUWAHATI, Aug 20 - Flood and erosion have caused immense hardship to the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel deployed along the international border with Bangladesh in Dhubri and Coochbehar sectors under Guwahati Frontier, badly affecting border management. Because of high floods, a number of border outposts had to be shifted and in several places, the men are operating from launches.
As per information available with The Assam Tribune, the border outpost (BOP) at Madhnakhura started facing the fury of floods during the second wave and it was shifted to a primary school. All the patrol points were submerged and the people of the locality along with livestock had to be shifted to safer places by the BSF personnel in their boats.
The Daribas BOP was submerged in five-to-six feet deep water and the people of the two villages located ahead of the domination line were shifted to safer places by BSF boats. Similarly, several other BOPs got submerged and apart from shifting their own belongings, the BSF men had to launch a rescue operation to shift the affected people of the area to safer places.
The BOP at Hati char, an important post of the BSF to check infiltration, had to be shifted to a launch on August 12 when it was submerged, while the troops deployed in other BOPs, including the ones in NDA, Bamandanga, Chowkichar, etc., also had to be shifted to launches following high floods.
The control panel of the solar plant at Hatichar BOP was completely damaged, while a toilet block of the BOP at Oda also met the same fate. On the other hand, the solar panel at Gachpara BOP was also completely damaged. The Hatichar BOP is also facing the threat of erosion as around 300 metres of soil near the BOP has already been eroded. The Chowkichar BOP is also facing a similar threat.
The foundation of the improvised viewpoint of the BOP at Chengmari and the accommodation facilities of the men there were damaged. Two generator sets installed at Krishnapur BOP were submerged and their working condition could be ascertained only after the water level comes down. Likewise, about 3,000 metres of coaxial cord cable laid from Chengmari to Krishnapur BOPs is now under water covered with weeds and garbage.
Meanwhile, sources in the BSF told this newspaper that despite the hardship, the men deployed in the BOPs, which had to be shifted, are operating from launches. �We are trying our best to guard the international border despite the hardship and the area domination is being carried out with speed boats,� sources added.
