From Our Correspondent
Agartala: Of the total 720 KM Indo-Bangla border approved for flood lighting project, work has been completed along 430 km (approx) border line, according to official sources.
The border areas which are being brought under flood lighting include Kamalasagar, Akhaura, Sidhai, Khowai, Kamalpur, Belonia, Raishyabari and Rajbari (Gandacherra).
The work is in full swing different places like Kamalasagar, Sonamura and Kailashahar. The remaining work (290 km) is expected to cover within next four to five months, said Bijoy Kumar, the Managar, National Projects Construction Corporation Ltd (NPCC) here on Wednesday.
On being asked about the problems in executing the project, he said, “We are facing no problem as the area for flood lighting was demarcated well before the commencement of the work”.
Interestingly, the most vulnerable areas in Gandacherra subdivision have not been included in the first phase of the project. However, NPCC hopes the remaining portion will also be covered with the flood lighting project.
Even as erection of flood lighting, an ambitious plan for effective border management has made good progress in terms of erection of transmission line, few flood-lighted areas have so far been energized by Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSECL).
According to security analysts, the food lighting along the border was initiated to strengthen the arrangement to stop cross border movement of insurgents as well smuggling through Indo-Bangla border.
“The insurgency has been contained to large extend due to erection of barbed wire fencing as well flood lighting along the border”, said a top police officer here today.
However, some border areas including parts of Kanchanpur and Gandacherra still remained unfenced leading to free zone for cross border movement of insurgents. Recent incident of killing of hardcore NLFT militant at Ratannagar under Raishyabari was the evident that militants are still using porous border as safe corridor.