Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Nearly 14 percent of Assam's border with Bangladesh remains wide open. Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora confirmed the numbers during an Assembly session on July 15. The state shares a 267.5-kilometer international boundary across the districts of Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Cachar, and Sribhumi. According to Survey of India data, barbed-wire fencing covers 228.541 kilometers of that stretch. That leaves 38.959 kilometers of the border exposed.
Fencing falls under the authority of the Centre. Of the remaining gap, 34.609 kilometers consist of riverine terrain. Another 4.35 kilometers along the banks of the Kushiyara river in Sribhumi district remain open after Border Guard Bangladesh raised objections to the work. The Border Security Force is holding the line. The force relies on boat patrols and the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System to keep watch over these river segments.
Development projects are shifting gears in the region. The state is now running initiatives under the Vibrant Village Programme-II, which replaced the old Border Area Development Programme. Bora noted that infrastructure work continues through the Border Development Activities, Border Outpost, and Border Outreach Programme. Addressing Congress MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar, the minister summarized the status of the security infrastructure. Bora said, "Nearly 14 per cent of Assam's 267.5-km international border with Bangladesh remains unfenced."
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