Tripura Congress demands immediate embankment work in border areas, writes to CS

Expressing concern over the flood situation, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President Asish Kumar Saha today wrote a letter to Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, demanding immediate construction of river embankments in Belonia of South District and Kailashahar of Unakoti District. 

In the letter, Saha stated that the foreign policy, which has been passed down through the tradition of independent India but has largely weakened during the BJP era, is now adversely affecting a large section of the country's population, particularly those living in bordering states. 

“After the floods in the Kailashahar-Bangladesh border area of Tripura last year, the Bangladesh government began construction of a high embankment on their side of the border. As a result, a large number of agricultural lands in the city were damaged, and Kailashahar was inundated with just a little rainfall. In that situation, was the central or the state government practically silent?” he questioned. 

Saha claimed that the Bangladesh government has now initiated construction of another embankment on the border at Belonia in the South District, without following any established norms. 

“In both these cases, the state government has remained completely indifferent and silent. While it is true that the central government must take appropriate steps in such international matters, we doubt how informed the current central government, especially the Home Ministry, is about the international border issues affecting the country. For any construction along an international border, the countries concerned must adhere to certain rules and regulations,” Saha stated. 

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The PCC president further said that both the central and state governments cannot evade responsibility for the problems created by the Bangladesh government's actions. 

“Although the embankment has not yet been constructed at Belonia, in the past two days, not only has the town of Belonia been flooded, but the hospital has also been submerged, and life-saving medicines have been damaged. We have observed that, despite the importance of these issues, the state government has not paid proper attention. In several border areas, particularly where people from minority communities live in large numbers, a portion of their land and houses has ended up beyond the barbed wire fence, forcing them to live like foreigners despite having valid citizenship and land ownership documents in their own country,” he said. 

Saha also urged the Chief Secretary to take necessary measures to resolve the ongoing problems of citizens living in the border areas, including finding a permanent solution to the issues related to the construction of embankments in Belonia and Kailashahar—especially before the upcoming monsoon.