Agartala, May 22:
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Thursday said the state has become vulnerable and victim to an international drug trafficking network operating from Myanmar to Bangladesh through the Northeast and stressed that complete sealing and modernisation of the Indo-Bangladesh border is crucial to curb narcotics smuggling and other cross-border crimes.
Addressing reporters after the passing out parade of 476 newly trained police constables, including 318 women constables, at the K.T.D. Singh Police Training College in Agartala, Saha said inputs indicate that narcotics originating in Myanmar enter India through Assam and Mizoram before being routed to Bangladesh via Tripura.
“Until and unless the border is properly sealed, the drug menace will continue,” the Chief Minister said.
Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, said Tripura has not only emerged as a transit corridor but local people are also increasingly becoming victims of drug abuse.
Highlighting border security concerns, Saha said the state government has repeatedly raised with the Centre the issue of vulnerable stretches along the India-Bangladesh border, including damaged old fencing, difficult terrain and riverine gaps where fencing remains incomplete.
According to him, detailed reports have already been submitted to New Delhi and modernisation work is expected to be undertaken in phases.
He further indicated that central teams may soon visit Tripura to inspect the problematic stretches.
Calling border fencing a matter linked directly to national security, Saha said a multi-layered security mechanism is already in place with the Border Security Force guarding the first line, Tripura State Rifles deployed in the second layer and state police maintaining internal vigilance.
Referring to developments in neighbouring Bangladesh, the Chief Minister said despite Tripura sharing nearly three-fourths of its boundary with Bangladesh, the state has so far managed to prevent large-scale infiltration due to heightened surveillance and coordinated security deployment.
Saha, accompanied by DGP Anurag and ADGP GS Rao, announced that the state government has planned to establish at least eight de-addiction centres along with rehabilitation facilities across the state.
He said foundation work for several such centres has already begun with financial assistance received from the Union government.
On law and order, Saha asserted that the state government is committed not only to controlling crime but also to eliminating the culture of political violence that Tripura had witnessed for decades.
He said police personnel have been instructed to respond immediately to incidents of violence and maintain strict law and order across the state.
“Violence cannot win the confidence of people. Political parties indulging in violence ultimately lose public support,” Saha remarked while referring to the political situation in different states and Tripura’s past political history.
The Chief Minister also said Tripura’s policing standards have improved considerably in recent years and expressed hope that the state would further improve its national standing in policing and security indicators.
He further informed that the Centre has approved another India Reserve Battalion for Tripura following requests made by the state government and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for strengthening the state’s security infrastructure.
