Security tightened along India-Bangladesh border in Tripura ahead of HM Shah’s 3-day visit, NEC meeting

Ahead of the 3-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Tripura and the 72nd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), security along the India-Bangladesh border and various parts of the state further tightened, officials said on Wednesday. 

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman said that before the NEC plenary session, top officials led by Tripura Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha visited various bordering areas and districts and reviewed the prevailing security scenario and operational preparedness.

During the visit, various issues pertaining to effective border management including day and night intense domination of India-Bangladesh border by the BSF, joint operations with police and other intelligence agencies to prevent trans-border crime, action against touts facilitating illegal migration, destruction drive of cannabis, security of border population residing ahead of the fence and plan for relocation of villages ahead of the border fence, road connectivity and supply of electricity to BOPs, and land acquisition cases were discussed in depth.

The spokesman said that during the visit to BOP N.C. Nagar, Deputy Inspector General, Gokulnagar also briefed the senior officials about the current security scenario and extra steps taken to further strengthen border security.j

Director General of Tripura Police Amitabh Ranjan, BSF Additional Director General, Eastern Command, Ravi Gandhi, BSF Inspector General, Tripura Frontier, Ashwani Kumar Sharma accompanied the Chief Secretary during the visit to Dhalai and Sepahijala districts.

The Chief Secretary and the DGP lauded the tireless and persistent efforts of BSF troopers deployed on the border in difficult terrain, the spokesman said.

The visit underscored the commitment of the BSF in conjunction with state authorities to bolster border security.

BSF ADG and the IG later met Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu at the Raj Bhavan and briefed him about the prevailing security scenario along the border and the force's operational preparedness.

The Governor appreciated the efforts of the BSF in Tripura to maintain peace and security in the region and emphasised the importance of enhanced coordination between state agencies and the BSF to address emerging challenges.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Governors, Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all eight northeastern states will attend the NEC meeting in Agartala on December 21.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the progress of various ongoing and proposed development projects would be discussed in the vital meeting.

He said that a review meeting of the works and planning of the North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC) would be held on December 22.

A senior official said that the Union Home Minister and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Chairman S. Somanath would attend the NESAC meeting.

The Union Home Minister, in the previous NEC meeting in Shillong, had said that in the 50 years of its establishment, the NEC has increased the pace of development of the region by providing a policy-related platform to all the states and simplifying the solutions to their problems.

Headquartered in Meghalaya's capital Shillong, the NEC, a regional planning and statutory advisory body for the eight northeastern states including Sikkim, was constituted under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971, and came into being on November 7, 1972.