Another year, another target

Interestingly, on July 29 the Union Government had told a tripartite meeting—attended by representatives of the All Assam Students’ Union, Assam government and Central Government—that “the gaps (in the border fence) will be filled up by December 2006”.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) which was instrumental in making New Delhi agree to fence the Indo-Bangla border way back in 1985, has all along been sore over progress of the work. “We have nothing to say, but are happy that at least it is nearing completion,” says Samujjal Bhattacharyya, adviser to the student body.

Asked what difference the completed fence would make, Bhattacharyya says: “One, it will prevent further influx from Bangladesh. And two, it will also put an end to the cross-border activities of the ISI and various fundamental Islamic militant groups which have their bases in Bangladesh.”

He adds: “The saddest part is that the government never had a time schedule for completion of the fence. Even when the Assam Accord was signed and the government agreed to fence the border, there was no mention of any target.”

“It was only in the first tripartite talks on the Assam Accord on May 5, 2005 that the government fixed a time frame,” says the AASU adviser. But the target of January 2006 was missed.

“The next tripartite meeting, attended by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, extended the deadline to December 2006, which was reiterated in the next tripartite meeting on July 29. We don’t understand how the government has now extended this to March?” Bhattacharyya asks.

One reason for the delay is interesting. While it was initially the Assam PWD that was entrusted the task of constructing the border fence and border road, the work was later shifted to the NBCC after the former’s performance was found to be poor in the first 41 km that it completed at its own pace.

The AASU, and for that matter the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP and all those who have been vocal against the influx from Bangladesh, all are unanimous on the “irreparable” damage that the delay in completion of the fence had caused. “The demography of Assam has been already changed, and no power on earth can revert it to the pre-Bangladesh times,” says BJP state chief Ramen Deka.