BSF-BGB to streamline mechanisms to curb border crimes

Guwahati, Dec. 21 (IANS): The five-day long Director General (DG) level Border Coordination Conference (BCC) between India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), beginning from Tuesday, would streamline mechanisms to jointly curb diverse trans-border crimes and timely sharing of information between the both border guarding forces, a BSF official said here on Monday.

According to a senior official of the BSF, the BCC, held first time outside the national capital, would also deliberate on developmental and infrastructure works, joint efforts for effective implementation of Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).

The 51st DG level BCC between the BSF and BGB would also review the ongoing strategies and further improve it for the better coordination between both border guarding forces deployed along the 4,096-km frontiers, including 1,116 km of riverine boundary, of the two neighbours.

Five Indian states — West Bengal (2,216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km)– share 4,096-km border with Bangladesh.

BSF Chief Rakesh Asthana and BGB Director General Major General Md Shafeenul Islam, would led their respective delegations in the meet, where Inspector Generals of BSF’s six of the nine frontiers would participate.

The last BSF-BGB BCC was held from September 16-19 this year in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

A BSF release said that the Joint India-Bangladesh guidelines for border authorities-1975 envisaged that there should be frequent contacts between the border authorities of the two countries to discuss the matters of immediate administrative concern.

An Indian delegation under the leadership of former BSF DG Ashwani Kumar and the Bangladesh delegation headed by former DG BDR (now BGB) Major General Quazi Golam met in Kolkata on December 2, 1975 for the first time to discuss mutual border problems. Since 1975, the meetings between DGs of BSF and BGB were held annually alternately in India and Bangladesh till 1993.

“During discussions held in Dhaka from October 7-9, 1993 between the Home Secretaries of India and Bangladesh, it was agreed that the DG level meetings between BSF and BGB, were to be a bi-annual event. In the agreed summary of discussions during the said meeting, it was emphasised that problems in the areas of mutual interests and concerns could be progressively resolved through close contacts and continuing meaningful dialogue at various levels,” the release said.

Accordingly, DGs of BSF and BGB have been holding BCC twice a year alternatively at Delhi and Dhaka and joint record of discussions of these meetings are forwarded to Home Ministries of the two countries after each such meeting.