India will make More Fence in Bangladesh border

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security cleared a massive infrastructure project for the Bangladesh border last week, a senior official told The Hindu.

Projects worth Rs 4,400 crore were cleared by the CCS headed by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, last week. However, no announcement was made by the government.

The CCS has cleared around 200 km of fencing along the border. Sanction has also been given to construct a 400-km road in the border areas, The Hindu said.

The CCS has given an extension to the border fencing project till 2019 as the March 2014 target could not be met due to various issues like land acquisition, forest clearance, rough terrain and public protest, according to a senior central government official.

Under Phase I of the border infrastructure project, completed in 2000 during NDA I tenure, over 850 km fencing was done. Under the 2nd Phase, 1,973.572 km fencing work was completed, the report added.

A high-level committee will reschedule the balance work that has not been allotted yet and will expedite land acquisition in consultation with the state governments. The border with Bangladesh runs along West Bengal (2,216 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km).

In May this year, union home minister Rajnath Singh wrote to the respective chief ministers asking them to expedite land acquisition so that fencing could be completed in these states.