AGARTALA, June 19 (TIWN): A delegation from Assam government on Thursday visited several bordering villages of Tripura to experience from development initiatives in bordering villages of the state under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP). The delegation led by Jishnu Baruah - Principal Secretary to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, later met Principal Secretary, secretary and other officials of the state government.

Speaking to reporters later this evening, Revenue Secretary  Swapan Saha said that the delegation visited parts of Dukli block under the West Tripura district and parts of the newly formed Sepahijala district. The visit involved collection of data of the left-out habitations in core-network and roads requiring revision to surface conditions to include it in CUPL in respect of international border blocks.

Out of 58 blocks currently operated by the state administration, Tripura is currently having 31 border blocks. The figures rose from 25 in the recent bifurcation and reorganization of the blocks.

Tripura was awarded Rs. 48 crores in the last financial year for coinstruction of school buildings, community halls, conducting health camps, extending power transmission lines etc. The funds are slated to remain same for the current financial year. “We have received confirmation that Rs. 48 crores would be awarded for the current financial year as well”, Saha said.

The state was awarded a special fund of Rs. 55 crore for border road construction in the last financial year. Five link roads were constructed in bordering areas of the state, mostly in Dhalai district.

With steadily declining BADP funds over the past five years, the Assam government was advised by the MHA to gather experience from performing states like Tripura which had zero fund deduction in the same timeframe, Revenue secretary Swapan Saha said. He added that the team including Assam Home Secretary Jnanendra Deb Tripathi, Assam BADP Director Sajjad Ali and Deputy Commissioner of Karimganj Sanjib Kumar Gohain Baruah would leave Tripura on Friday.

Assam shares a 263 Km international border with Bangladesh with a large share of it in Karimganj district alone. The state recently became highly sensitive about illegal immigration of Bangladeshi nationals through the unfenced borderline.