India to fence sensitive patch along 'open' Bhutan border

NEW DELHI: In a first, government has decided to erect fencing along a "sensitive" and notorious border patch between India and Bhutan in order to keep control on activities of insurgent and militant groups active along this area.

SSB Director General B D Sharma, during a media interaction here, said the patch is about 35-km long and is in the Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam, bordering Bhutan, and this would be the first and only area where the 699-km long border will have a fence or barbed wire erection.

"We had sent a proposal to the Union Home Ministry for fencing this select area and the Ministry has accepted our proposal. We have talked to Bhutan about this and they are also on-board. Work is on to acquire land for the construction of the fence infrastructure," he said.

Officials said the border patch was notorious for the illegal activities and killings by Bodo and similar militant groups and these banned cadres would cross over to the other side as soon as either side began a crackdown against them on their territory.

This will be the only fenced area on this border which is all along 'open', they said.

The patch is marked by dense jungles and difficult hilly tracts.

The DG also said security forces have come down heavily and clamped down on the activities of the banned insurgent group of Assam-- NDFB.

"All the central paramilitary forces and army have brought down much damage on the NDFB and I can tell you that their activities are very much under control," he said adding a number of their top cadres are on the run because of these actions.