509 outposts to be made along B'desh border

The Centre has decided to construct 509 new Border Outposts (BOPs) and complete the unfinished barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangla international borders, a top official said on Tuesday.

"Of the 509 new BOPs, 126 would be constructed along the Indo-Pak border and the rest 383 would be constructed along the Indo-Bangla border to strengthen border monitoring and border management", Secretary of Border Road Management, E A  Ahmed told reporters.

Ahmed arrived in Agartala on Monday and visited Khanthlang, a remote hill top tribal hamlet in North Tripura district, bordering Chittagong Hill Tract of Bangladesh, and Akhaura checkpost. He held meetings with the Chief Secretary, S K Panda and other top officials at the Civil Secretariat.

Ahmed announced that the Akhaura checkpost would be upgraded as the fourth integrated checkpost of the country by extending the facilities of customs, proper security, cargo godowns and others required for entry and exit of citizens of India and Bangladesh.

Ahmed said construction of two such integrated check posts have started on the Indo-Pak and Indo-Nepal border and one more checkpost would be built on Indo-Nepal border and adding that the Akhaura checkpost would be the fourth integrated checkpost in the country.

He said construction work for Akhaura checkpost would start in July and would be completed by fourteen months. Ahmed said of the 856 km Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura, Fencing was completed in 650 km and the rest would be completed by 2012 and added flood lighting was done along 200 km and monetary sanction has been given for flood lighting for additional 518 km.