The opposition Congress on Saturday staged a protest along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura’s Unakoti district, demanding immediate intervention from the Union government to address the construction of an embankment by Bangladesh. The embankment, being built along the Manu River, has sparked concerns about flooding and border violations.
Leading the demonstration, senior Congress leader and former Minister Birajit Sinha alleged that the embankment, which is being unilaterally constructed on Bangladeshi soil, poses a significant threat to Kailashahar town and nearby border villages, especially during the monsoon. Sinha claimed that parts of the embankment touch the “zero line,” violating the 1972 Indira-Mujib pact and subsequent joint guidelines from 1975, which prohibit the construction of structures within 150 yards of the international boundary.
“Considering the risk to Tripura’s key district town and border villages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the concerned Indian minister must intervene to stop the construction,” Sinha urged while speaking to the media. He further stated that Bangladeshi smugglers have recently attacked BSF personnel patrolling the border in the Unakoti district, exacerbating tensions in the region.
Hundreds of Congress supporters and leaders joined the demonstration, shouting slogans against the Bangladesh government and urging the Centre to take up the matter at a diplomatic level.
In response to the growing concerns, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi last week and submitted a letter highlighting the potential consequences of the embankment on Indian territory. According to officials, the Chief Minister urged Shah to engage with the Bangladesh government to halt construction and ensure compliance with international agreements.
A team led by District Magistrate Dilip Kumar Chakma, along with engineers from the Tripura government’s Water Resources Department, recently inspected the embankment site in Sharipur and Devipur areas of Bangladesh’s Moulvibazar district. The under-construction embankment, which is 20 feet high and 10 feet wide, runs along the Manu River, which divides the two nations.
Officials noted that an embankment exists on the Indian side of the border, located over 350 yards from the zero line. However, the decades-old structure is relatively low in height and would need substantial elevation to counter potential flooding caused by the new Bangladeshi embankment.
Sinha, who also raised the issue during the recently concluded winter session of the Tripura Assembly, accused Bangladesh of breaching bilateral agreements. “The zero line violations and unilateral construction threaten the region’s safety and violate established protocols. The Centre must act urgently to address this matter with Bangladesh,” he said.
