Border Crisis in Tripura: Congress flags crumbling flood embankments and rising waterlogging risks in border areas, urges action ahead of monsoon season.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Asish Kumar Saha has written an urgent letter to Tripura Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, appealing for immediate intervention to expedite maintenance and repair works on flood protection embankments along the India-Bangladesh border, particularly in the vulnerable regions of Belonia and Kailashahar.
In his letter submitted on Thursday, Saha expressed deep concern over the deteriorating condition of embankments on the Indian side ahead of the impending monsoon season. He pointed out that while Bangladesh has already elevated and reinforced its embankments along the border, the corresponding flood protection systems in India remain in a “decrepit and neglected” state. This disparity, he warned, poses a serious risk to life, livelihood, and property in Tripura’s low-lying border districts.
Raising questions about India’s diplomatic posture, Saha directly blamed what he termed as the “failure of the Modi government’s foreign policy” for worsening the crisis in border areas. He alleged that both the central and state governments have failed to protect the interests of Indian citizens living along international borders, despite repeated warnings and ground-level evidence of escalating threats.
Recalling the devastating floods in Kailashahar last year, the Congress leader said the root of the problem lies in the construction of elevated embankments by Bangladesh, which has altered the natural flow of water and led to backflow into Indian territory. “Even light rainfall is now causing severe waterlogging in the region. Farmlands are being destroyed. Houses remain inundated for days. The situation has only deteriorated further since last year,” he wrote.
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Saha noted that the issue was earlier raised in the Tripura Legislative Assembly by Congress MLA Birajit Sinha, and that local residents have repeatedly protested. However, he lamented that the government response has been inadequate, if not completely absent. “Now, Bangladesh has begun similar embankment elevation projects along the Belonia border, further endangering Indian settlements,” he added.
Criticizing the silence of the Tripura state government, Saha said that while international matters such as cross-border agreements fall under the purview of the central government, the state has an equally crucial role in disaster preparedness, citizen welfare, and immediate infrastructure management. He also raised concerns about whether the Union Home Minister was even aware of the ground realities faced by citizens in border villages.
A major point of concern raised in Saha’s letter was the alleged violation of bilateral border construction protocols. He claimed that several Indian families—most of them from minority communities—have now been effectively cut off from mainstream Indian society due to the placement of the barbed wire fencing 150 yards inside Indian territory from the international border line. “These families, though legitimate Indian citizens with proper documentation, are treated as outsiders. They are under constant surveillance by the BSF and often unjustly accused of smuggling activities,” he said.
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According to Saha, these residents face severe restrictions, including difficulties in obtaining basic rations, harassment during identity checks, and now, a fresh crisis: power disconnection. He condemned the Tripura government’s recent move to cut electricity supply to homes in these ahead-of-the-fence villages, even as the state reels under extreme heat and humidity.
“This is inhumane and unacceptable. At a time when the entire state is struggling with high temperatures, cutting power to these already vulnerable families shows an utter lack of empathy and governance,” he stated.
Concluding his letter, Saha urged the Chief Secretary to take urgent action to restore and reinforce embankments in Kailashahar and Belonia, and to ensure protection and basic rights for citizens residing beyond the border fencing. He stressed the need for inter-departmental coordination, regular communication with affected villagers, and a proactive stance by both state and central authorities to avert a humanitarian disaster during the upcoming monsoon season.
