GUWAHATI:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a three-day tour of the state, said that the Centre is committed to the all-round development of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) with both the Centre and the Assam governments fulfilling 90 per cent of the clauses of the Bodo Accord.
“As far as the BTR agreement is concerned, the government, in the last three years, has given Rs 1,500 crore for the development of the region. Today, Rs 1,980 crore has been given for institutional development in the region,” Shah said, on the sidelines of the foundation laying ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF) Central Workshop and Store (CENWOSTO) in Tamulpur, on Monday.
The Union minister also informed that a detailed project report (DPR) of Rs 500 crore for the region is under consideration with the Centre and it will be approved within a very short time. Shah, who also launched Khadi and Village Industries products at the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) canteen, said that as promised during the Assam Assembly polls, the government has successfully quelled terrorism by driving it out of Assam.
“In Assam alone, more than 9,000 people from armed groups have chosen to surrender and join the national mainstream and the most important example is the Bodoland Accord,” he said.
After the foundation stone laying ceremony, Shah said that with the establishment of a Central Workshop and Store, repair and supply of weapons to the Central Armed Forces will be done from Assam and in the future, all arms and ammunition will be supplied from the workshop to all the central forces including BSF, ITBP, CISF, CRPF, SSB and other para-military forces.
“Rs 50 crore would be invested to set up the Workshop and Stores which will save crores of rupees in the future,” said the Home Minister.
Earlier in the day, Shah, along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Director General BSF, Pankaj Kumar Singh, visited the border organisation’s border out-post in Mankachar, located on the Indo-Bangladesh border in a BSF helicopter, where he was welcomed by YB Khurania, ADG (EC) in presence of IG Guwahati frontier, SS Gehlot, sector DIG Dhubri and District Magistrate South Salamara.
The Union Home Minister was briefed at the observation post along the Indo-Bangladesh border regarding the present security scenario, emerging challenges and the strategy to deal with it.
Shah observed simultaneous coordinated patrolling carried out jointly by BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on the international border, and also reviewed the security scenario on the international border and issued necessary guidelines.