River Embankment Along India-Bangladesh Border Raises Alarm In Tripura

The raising of the embankment by Bangladesh could lead to devastating floods in Kailashahar town during the upcoming monsoon season. ETV Bharat's Anup Sharma reports.

Guwahati:An under-construction embankment in Bangladesh is worrying the Indian state of Tripura. The Unakoti district administration in Tripura has expressed concern over Bangladesh's ongoing act of raising the height of the embankment located close to the zero point along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the northeastern state.

District Magistrate of Unakoti district Dilip Kumar Chakma visited the Devipur area in Rangauti Gram Panchayat in Unakoti district on Saturday and said that the raising of the height of embankment by Bangladesh could lead to devastating floods in Kailashahar town during the upcoming monsoon season if immediate action is not taken.

The DM's visit came after Congress legislator Birajit Sinha raised the issue in the State Assembly and sought Chief Minister Manik Saha's attention over this.

"I came to Rangauti Gram Panchayat today to see the embankment being constructed by the Bangladesh government on the other side of the International border. We feel that the Bangladeshi government has raised the existing embankment which is expected to lead to severe flooding on this side of the border during the monsoon season. We have to raise the height of the embankments on our side of the border too. The embankment on our (Indian) side is more than 350 meters away from the zero line while they (Bangladesh) are constructing the embankment within 100 meters of the zero line. We need to take necessary steps in this regard," Chakma told the media after visiting the area on Saturday.

Manu River flows between the India and Bangladesh border in Tripura. Unakoti district in Tripura is located on the banks of Manu on the Indian side while Moulavi Bazar district in Bangladesh is located on the other end. While there had been embankments on both sides of the borders for protection from floods, the raising of the height of the embankments in Bangladesh has caused worries on the Indian side.

The residents of Unakoti district have also alleged that it is a violation of International laws as the Bangladeshi authorities have not intimated Indian authorities on the development regarding raising the height of the embankments on their side.

"It is a matter of grave concern as the raising of the embankments by Bangladesh will lead to severe flooding on this side. The BJP-led government in Tripura must take it up with the Central government so that the issue can be discussed bilaterally," said Congress legislator Birajit Singha.

He also questioned the role of BSF and other security forces who were supposed to provide intelligence to the Ministry of Home Affairs about these developments. "I wonder what the intelligence agencies were doing? This is a matter of serious concern and the government is not even aware of this. It would have been a disaster if I had not taken up the issue," said Singha.

Meanwhile, the BSF clarified that Bangladesh authorities tried to repair the embankment on their side by putting fresh earth in November last year. "As some portion of elevated kacha track falls within 150 yards of the International Boundary, the BSF immediately contacted the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) Post and lodged a strong protest, which led to the stopping of the work immediately. Thereafter the work was stopped by Bangladesh," a BSF official said.

The bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained since the political development in the neighbouring country in August last year, which led to the ouster of the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and subsequent taking over by an interim government in Bangladesh headed by Nobel Laureate Professor Mohammed Yunus.