Stop cattle trafficking: DM

Statesman News Service

MALDA. (India) Dec. 16 — The Malda district magistrate today urged BSF and police officials to prevent cattle smuggling to Bangladesh at any cost.At the district-level monitoring committee meeting the English Bazaar MLA Mr Samar Roy raised the issue of cattle smuggling and blamed the BSF for it.While acknowledging the problem, the BSF sought police help to deal with the matter.Speaking to reporters, the DM said he would take steps to check cattle smuggling and accepted some suggestions, like drop gates, of the SP, Mr DK Mondal.It was also discussed that the police and the BSF would unearth cattle smuggling points near the unfenced border and arrest the touts.The DM today asked BSF officials to hold a flag meeting with Bangladesh Rifles soon in order to inform them that a joint survey of the disputed border line on either side of the river Mahananda will be conducted on 22 December. The DM held a meeting with officials of the BSF, CPWD, land acquisition department, political leaders including the sabhadhipati of the Malda zilla parishad and the superintendent of police to discuss various issues regarding the India-Bangladesh border. At the district-level monitoring committee meeting the main discussion centred on the disputed areas between the Adampur and Muchia border outposts on the Indian side and Gillabari and Poladanga in Bangladesh. “With a view to conducting the joint survey to finalise the international border line between the two countries peacefully and settle it amicably the BSF would seek their cooperation’’ Mr Abhijit Choudhury, DM, said. “We would begin anti-erosion work on the left side of the river Mahananda after settlement of the border dispute and we are determined to start our anti-erosion work based on the present pillar and last survey of our land”, said Mr Goutam Chakraborty, sabhadhipati, after the meeting today. “We will not give them our land which is being enjoyed by Bangladesh after severe erosion by the Mahananda for some years”, he maintained. The Centre has agreed to increase the number of border outposts in Raiganj in view of its burgeoning population.