Assam-Bangla border to be sealed by March 

Guwahati, Sep 19 : Fencing along the porous Assam-Bangladesh border would be completed by March and the border would be sealed, as it has become an easy gateway into India for illegal infiltrators. 

Informing this at a press meet here today, Assam Accord Implementation Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman said, ''As per the revised deadline, the border sealing would be completed by March, 2010.'' He said only 0.7 km of the total border area assigned to the state Public Works Department is yet to be completed and this portion mostly forms the approach road to bridges, which cannot be constructed until the bridges are completed. 

''The other two Central government agencies, NBCC and NPCC, assigned the task of fencing the remaining border area are yet to complete their work. We have been pressurising the agencies to finish the work at the earliest and they have set a deadline of March,'' Dr Barman added. 

On the encroachment of Indian territory by the neighbouring state, Dr Barman, who also holds the state Revenue and Disaster Management portfolio, said talks are on with Bangladesh to resolve the issue amicably. 

He informed that 189 acres in Boraibari area in Dhubri district and over 300 acres of tea garden area in Karimganj district are in adverse possession of Bangladesh since 1948 and 1965 respectively. 

''Moreover, there were other areas of dispute between the two countries and we are holding a series of concerted talks with them to resolve the issues,'' the minister added.