A three-day Border Co-ordination Conference between officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) concluded in Kolkata on Friday, where the border guarding forces of both the countries agreed on strengthening their coordinated border management plan.
“The aim of this conference is to improve mutual co-operation and understanding between both the Border Guarding Forces of India and Bangladesh for better border management and to resolve various border related issues in the mutual interest of both the countries,” a press statement issued by the BSF said. The statement emphasised simultaneous coordinated patrolling between the BSF and the BGB.
“Both sides appreciated various activities being conducted under Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) that includes Simultaneous Coordinated Patrols (SCP), sharing of intelligence, identification of vulnerable areas and increased frequency of meetings at all levels,” the statement added.
Ashwini Kumar Singh, Inspector General, South Bengal Frontier said during the meeting that border guarding forces of both the countries have arrived at certain measures to reduce firing along the border. Mr. Singh said that the aim was to identify vulnerable patches along the border for reducing trans-border crime.
During the meeting, an agreement on various issues, including a crackdown on narcotic smuggling, particularly Yaba tablets, was arrived at. While incidents of cattle smuggling have fallen, there has been an increase in the smuggling of narcotics, particularly Yaba tablets, on both sides of the border.
“Yaba tablets are a menace for the population of both the countries. We will work jointly to destroy the network,” Brig General Md Zakir Hossain, Additional Director General South West Region-Jessore of the BGB, said. Yaba, considered a big menace in Bangladesh, is a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine sold as cheap red or pink pills. Yaba is usually sourced from Myanmar.
India shares a 4,096 km border with Bangladesh, of which 2,216 km of the border is between West Bengal and Bangladesh.
