Land acquisition for laying of Indo-Bangla railway track

AGARTALA: With the completion of survey for 15 KM railway track from Agartala to Akhaura in Bangladesh, the work for acquisition of land for laying the tracks would be started this year, official sources said on Friday.

Following the two-day District Magistrate level meeting here, the Deputy Collector of Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh, Nur Mohammad Majumder and West Tripura district Magistrate Kiran Gitte jointly announced that survey for the track was completed and the process for land acquisition would be started this year.

The two-day meeting concluded yesterday. The meeting decided that 373 border pillars which were partly or fully damaged would be repaired or constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) of both the sides under the supervision of Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB).

Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the reduction of border crimes like cattle lifting, theft and dacoity and exchanged a list of criminals taking shelter in the two neighbouring countries and both agreed to initiate stringent legal actions against them.

West Tripura District Superintendent of Police, Bijoy Nag, who also took part in the meeting, said that a list of 24 Indian criminals hiding in Bangladesh was handed over to them while the Bangladesh side gave a similar list of twenty criminals sheltering in the Indian side.

"We are united to take appropriate legal action against the criminals", said the Police Superintendent of Brahmanbaria, Mohammad Moniruzzaman.

The Bangladesh delegation expressed serious concern at the smuggling of contraband items like Ganja, cannabis and medicines like Phensidyle and Corex used in Bangladesh for addiction from the Indian side.

The Indian side assured them to contain the menace by increasing more surveillance on the border.