The Government has decided to define areas of responsibility for different security agencies in Assam and set up a joint command to oversee operations in a bid to increase coordination between them as they take on various militant groups operating in the region. With the immediate motive of resuming train services on the Lumding-Badarpur rail section,which has been disrupted for the last month-and-a-half due to repeated attacks by the Jewel Gorlossa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD-J),the Government has asked the Assam Police and paramilitary forces to take control of the areas along the railway tracks and the Army to carry out operations in the hinterland. According to the new arrangement,areas up to 2 km from the railway tracks would be the domain of the Assam Police and paramilitary forces. Beyond that,the Army would be responsible for fighting the militant groups. The Railway Protection Force has been assigned the job to ensure the security of railway stations,residential colonies of railway staff and railway property. The delineation of responsibilities was decided at a meeting of senior officials from the Central and state Governments in Guwahati on Thursday. The Centre had on Tuesday sent Special Secretary (Internal Security) Raman Srivastava,Joint Secretary (North East) Naveen Verma and DG of RPF Ranjit Sinha to Assam to thrash out a strategy to deal with the DHD-J in particular and the threat from militants groups in general. Sources said the Centre had received assurance from the Assam Government that normal train movement on the troubled rail link,a vital route for supply of essentials to Manipur,Mizoram and Tripura,would be restored within 2-3 days. The disruption of train movement on the line has resulted in a serious food crisis in these states,as well as a shortage of petroleum products. The state Government has asked the paramilitary forces to maintain vigil along the 37 tunnels on the section between Lumding and Haflong,most prone to attacks from DHD-J. The Centre has also decided to send two additional battalions of the Rapid Action Force to the state Government.
