Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for re-including Assam in the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh.
In a letter to Modi, he said re-inclusion of Assam as in the original protocol signed on September 6, 2011 would help in finding a permanent solution to the long standing India-Bangladesh border disputes in the Assam sector.
“It would also facilitate erection of fencing in undemarcated areas and help prevent illegal infiltration of foreigners, subversive elements and smuggling etc by sealing the porous border,” said Gogoi.
The chief minister, had earlier also written to Modi urging him to re-include Assam in the protocol for a permanent solution to the outstanding issues between both the countries.
The Congress-led government in Assam has been supporting the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) as it would benefit the state with 714 acres of land.
Regional political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had called for a 10-hour Assam bandh on Thursday in protest against the central government’s decision to re-include Assam in the LBA.
The Assam government, however, made it clear that the LBA will settle the boundary dispute with Bangladesh permanently and Assam will get an area of 714 acres of land in Dhubri and Karimganj sectors.
There are 982 acres of disputed land along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam. Assam will part with 268.40 acres of land, including 193.85 acres in Kalabari area in Dhubri and 74.55 acres in Pallathal area in Karimganj as it would go to Bangladesh.