Border issue: India-Bangladesh to enhance ground-level meets

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) India and Bangladesh today announced that their border guarding forces will implement "out-of-the-box" solutions, including increased interaction of commanders at the ground level, to ensure safety and security along their 4,096-km long border. The decision was arrived after a 21-member delegation of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), led by its chief Major General Anwar Hussain, finished its four-day border talks with India's Border Security Force (BSF) here. "Last four days we tried to work out the practical modalities about how we are going to execute the decision taken at Home Ministers level. We discussed in an out-of-the-box ... in a very pragmatic way to deal with situation in the border area .... We have reached certain agreements to be implemented at the ground level," Maj Gen Hussain told reporters after the closing ceremony of the border-level conference. We have come to a consensus that we have common enemies to fight, the BGB chief said, with BSF Director General U K Bansal by his side. The bi-annual BSF-BGB meet aims to sort out various issues along the open border, which is notorious for smuggling and illegal trespass incidents. The BGB chief said both the forces will enhance exchange of information and will have "mini-interactive" sessions at regular intervals among various ranks of the commanders on the border, beginning from border-out-post to company and sector commanders level. Both the forces will also "sensitise" the border population on their sides and urge them to carry valid documents while crossing over to the other side. "I am very happy to report to you that we have reached and advanced our understanding of the issues on the border. We have a far better understanding of issues of concern to both countries and most importantly we have been able to achieve a high-level of understanding on how to address those issues in the best interest of both countries," BSF chief Bansal said. BGB chief Hussain said both the forces have agreed to "enhance interaction on the field to address issues on ground rather than lingering on for years together." "We have agreed to be more professional in sharing information so that we can jointly combat common enemies," he said. During the four-day conference, the BSF, according to Bansal, handed over to their Bangladeshi counterparts a list of 51 camps and twenty-two Indian insurgent group leaders present in their territory. "I must add a word of caution here.... This information (the list handed over) needs verification by Bangladeshi authorities," Bansal said. "It is our shared concern that violence and crime on the border should be brought to minimum possible and we have agreed to address this problem jointly," the BSF DG added. Bansal added the new measures will be implemented "by ground forces" in order to address problems jointly and to sensitise border population about the sanctity of border and hazards of breaching law. "These measures will gain momentum in next few months," he said. BGB chief Hussain said they have identified 23 patches along the border which are "very vulnerable" in terms of illegal activities and both the forces will undertake joint patrolling in these areas. When asked about the enforcement of a dusk-to-dawn curfew at the border which is being implemented by the BSF, Hussain said their stand is that "each citizen has the right to move" and a curfew is not needed. Both the border forces' chiefs also said they are working in coordination to curb the smuggling of fake Indian currency notes and narcotic drugs. PTI