The Bangladesh government has been constructing embankments on their sides opposite to Tripura’s Unakoti and South Tripura districts, triggering tensions as these embankments may endanger the district towns of Kailashahar and Belonia, respectively and adjoining border villages during monsoon floods.
The Chief Ministerat Amtali in Agartala, said that the government is seriously looking into the matter.
He said that in the case of the Unakoti district, the state government has already taken necessary steps. Regarding the embankment issues in South Tripura district, he stated that detailed information has been gathered and forwarded to the Centre for appropriate action.
The Chief Minister informed that the state is also constructing embankments in vulnerable areas and expressed hope that residents would not face further hardships due to the developments across the border.
Tripura Public Works Department Secretary Kiran Gitte, who visited both Unakoti and South Tripura districts and along with senior officials and conducted on-the-spot studies in both the bordering districts, said that the state government has already taken up to construct new embankments and repairing the old embankments in different parts of the state at a cost of Rs 150 crore. Gitte said that to protect the South Tripura district headquarters, Belonia and Unakoti district headquarters, Kailashahar, adjoining villages and habitations, embankments are being constructed, and other measures have been taken up, and the ongoing works would be further intensified. Residents of four panchayats under the Bharat Chandra Nagar block in Bilonia subdivision of South Tripura district are in fear as Bangladesh government is about to complete embankment along the Muhuri river.
It is alleged that construction is taking place within just 10 to 50 yards of Indian territory in certain stretches of the zero point dividing the two nations.
The residents, about 500, are fearing that villagers will be submerged if water levels rise. According to locals, the embankment being built by Bangladesh is 15 to 20 feet high and stretches for about 1 to 1.5 kilometres.
Villagers are urging that either the embankment be dismantled, or appropriate drainage routes be included to prevent potential flooding.
In January this year Tripura government took up with the Centre the issue of the embankment, being constructed unilaterally by the Bangladesh government on its land.
According to the state government, it might endanger the state’s Unakoti district town Kailashahar and border villages during monsoon.
