GUWAHATI, Jan. 28: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the state government is monitoring the border with Bangladesh to check infiltration from the neighbouring country.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a programme in Bodoland Territorial Region , the chief minister said even as the border is fenced, there are some areas along the Brahmaputra that are porous.
“These porous areas over the Brahmaputra River cannot be fenced as there is no technology. However, we are monitoring the movements of illegal infiltrators through gadgets of the BSF. Every day, we are capturing 10 to 12 Bangladeshis who try to cross the border illegally. So, Assam is extremely vigilant when it comes to infiltration from Bangladesh,”
Referring to reports of militancy brewing in Bangladesh, Sarma said, “The situation in Bangladesh is not good. There are reports that the ISI and a section of militants in Bangladesh are trying to regroup. But a militancy movement cannot be run if there is no local support as the people of Assam believe in peace and are not going to come under their influence.”
Meanwhile, in a significant stride towards the development and growth of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Sarma inaugurated the newly constructed quarters for the executive members and members of the BTC Legislative Council in Kokrajhar, built with an infrastructure development grant of nearly Rs 100 crore in the scenic locale of Baukhungri.
Thereafter, in a decisive move to strengthen the higher education infrastructure in Kokrajhar, the chief minister laid the foundation stone for the administrative building of the forthcoming Kokrajhar University in Harinaguri.
During the event, he outlined the state government’s substantial efforts to advance higher education in the BTR region.
He informed that a full-time vice-chancellor would be appointed to the university by April this year and announced a financial allocation of Rs 50 crore for the university’s growth.