India has completed the first phase of building a wire fence along its border with Bangladesh, covering about 1,400km. Work on the rest of the 4,094km long border will be completed in two more phases by 2007.
The benefits are already showing with the Border Security Force claiming a significant drop in illegal migration from Bangladesh. New Delhi hopes to completely stop unauthorised movement along the Bangladesh border once the project is complete.
Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani has said that about 20 million illegal migrants from Bangladesh live in India, many of whom pose a security risk.
It is believed that the explosives used in August 25 Mumbai blasts had come from Bangladesh via road through Kolkata.
Dhaka rejected Advani's claim and also reacted angrily to Defence Minister George Fernandes's remarks that the Al Qaeda had set up bases inside Bangladesh. To buttress its claims, New Delhi had handed Dhaka a list of 99 terrorist camps inside Bangladesh and requested that they be dismantled.
"We can still say there are about 90 terrorist training camps inside Bangladesh," BSF's Additional Director General (East) S I S Ahmed said.