India yesterday said it was “agreed” with Bangladesh on putting up a new fence to secure over 250 villages outside the existing barbed wire fence along the International Border to curb cross-border crimes and alleviate problems of the population there.
The new fence would be closer to the 'zero' line.
How close it would be to the 'zero' line would be determined later at the operation level, KK Sharma, director general of the Indian Border Security Force, said after a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart in New Delhi.
Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed, director general of the Border Guard Bangladesh, stressed the need for ensuring that the new fence doesn't affect the lives of villagers.
"We will ensure that there are no objections from our side when the fence is erected. We need a humanitarian approach and it [new fence] could be done as the present positive relations between India and Bangladesh are an example that is nowhere to be seen in the world," he said.
The chiefs of the two border forces were speaking to the media at the end of two-day biannual BSF-BGB DG-level talks at the BSF headquarters.
"We have taken a major decision to erect a single row fence for villages that are ahead of the present fencing and behind the IB [International Border]. This will help curb cross-border crimes, smuggling and instil a sense of security among the border population. The Bangladesh government and the BGB have given us the permission to do so," BSF Chief Sharma said after signing a joint record of discussions with his BGB counterpart.
Sharma said the decision would affect 148 villages completely outside the IB fence as well as 137 villages partially outside it.
"A majority of these villages are in West Bengal state of India while a few are in other Indian states that share a border with Bangladesh. As the population lives and works here, the fence will have gates for people to cross over to the other side and come back," he said.
The BGB chief said the situation in these villages outside the fencing is very challenging at many places.
Both the DGs said regular issues such as cattle smuggling and circulation of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) came up at the meeting.
Sharma said, "The FICN menace has seen some reduction but much more needs to be done to further bring this criminal activity down."
Maj Gen Aziz said both the sides are sharing a lot of information, and that the BGB personnel are cooperating with the BSF in curbing cattle smuggling from India to Bangladesh.
"We also want it stopped... We do not want Indian cattle in Bangladesh. Our government has initiated a new project of domestic cattle farming to meet our needs," he said.
The BGB chief noted that most of the killings of Bangladeshis by the BSF on the border occur due to cattle smuggling, and both the BGB and the BSF would like to bring these numbers to zero.
Both the DGs said the talks were "cordial" and a number of issues were sorted out during the conference that began on October 3.
The BSF chief said they also took up the issue of security situation after the surgical strikes conducted by Indian army across the de facto border with Pakistan recently, and that both the forces are on "high vigil."
"There is no new input [about Bangladeshi territory being used by terrorists]... However, vigil has been increased along the Indo-Bangla border too," he said.
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