BSF says 70 percent of the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya fenced

A senior Border Security Force (BSF) official on Friday said that seventy percent of the India- Bangladesh 443-km international border in Meghalaya has been fenced.

"Nearly 70 per cent of Meghalaya's 443-km international border with Bangladesh has been fenced. Work is in progress in the unfenced stretches," said Hardeep Singh, inspector general of BSF, Meghalaya Frontier.

He said the remaining work is also expected to be completed soon, but the fencing of 13 stretches requires clearance from the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

"We have already taken up the matter with them and hope to receive the clearance very soon after which the entire border will be fenced," said Singh.

Over 10,000 cattle and other items worth Rs 40 crore were seized along the border in the last one year, said the BSF IG.

He said smugglers use unfenced stretches along the border to smuggle cattle and other items but BSF has heightened its vigil.

Singh, however, denied the presence of militant camps from across Northeast and Meghalaya in particular in neighbouring Bangladesh.

"There is no specific input about the presence of camps of insurgent outfits from the Northeast in Bangladesh. The BGB had informed us that there is no such camp," he said.