Assam Faces Security Gap With Nearly 40 Kilometers of Bangladesh Border Unfenced

Guwahati: Assam has secured 86 percent of its international border with Bangladesh. Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora shared the figures with the Assembly on July 15. The state shares a 267.5-kilometer border spanning Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Cachar, and Sribhumi districts. Currently, 228.541 kilometers feature barbed-wire fencing.

A gap of 38.959 kilometers remains exposed. Bora stated that the responsibility for closing this distance sits with the Centre. Riverine sections account for 34.609 kilometers of the unfinished barrier. Another 4.35 kilometers along the Kushiyara River in Sribhumi lack fencing because of "objections raised by Border Guard Bangladesh."

Security persists despite the holes. The Border Security Force uses boat patrols and the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System to watch the waterways. Officials are also pushing infrastructure growth. The Vibrant Village Programme-II now drives local development, replacing the old Border Area Development Programme. Teams continue working through Border Outpost and Border Outreach initiatives to bolster the region.