The Tripura government will soon take up with the Central government the issue of the embankment, being constructed unilaterally by the Bangladesh government on its land as it might endanger the state’s Unakoti district town Kailashahar and border villages during monsoon, officials said on Saturday.
An official team led by Unakoti district’s District Magistrate Dilip Kumar Chakma visited the bordering areas on Friday and later said that he would submit a report to the state government on the issue so that the state government could take up the matter with the Central government for appropriate steps.
A senior official here said that after getting the DM’s report, the state government would take up the issue with the Centre and discuss with the Bangladesh government to stop the construction of the embankment along the Manu River, which divides the two countries.
The official quoting the preliminary information said that the Bangladesh government without any discussion with the Indian authorities built the 10 km long concrete embankment just along the zero line to protect their areas from flood waters.
Bangladesh has already constructed around 3 km embankment and work is going on to construct the remaining portion, the official said, adding that after the construction of the embankment with huge height the Unakoti district town Kailashahar and many border villages would be badly affected during monsoon due to recurring flood.
“As per the Indira-Mujib pact, signed on March 19, 1972, and according to the 1975 Joint India-Bangladesh guidelines for border authorities, no structure unilaterally can be constructed within 150 yards from the zero line of the international boundary by either side,” the official said.
There is an embankment on the Indian side, constructed several decades ago, more than 350 yards from the zero line but the height of that old embankment is very low.
“The height of the embankment on our side has to be raised substantially otherwise district town Kailashahar and many border villages would be submerged by the flood water during monsoon,” the official pointed out.
Congress legislator from Kailashahar Birajit Sinha, also a former minister, raised the embankment issue in the just concluded winter session of the Tripura Assembly and urged the state government to take up the matter with the Centre.
Responding to the Congress MLA’s matter, Chief Minister Manik Saha had told the house that he would take up the matter with the Centre.
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