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BDR chief suggests ring roads along borders

By M Anwarul Haq
The chief of Bangladesh Rifles feels that plans should be immediately initiated to build ring roads' along the borders, which would beef up national security, increase vigilance and curb smuggling drastically.
In an interview with the Daily Star. Major General Fa-zlur Rahman said, along with plans to double the strength of BDR. a scheme should also be taken up to build arterial ring roads all along the 4156 kilometre border with India and another 300 kilometre border with Myanmar.
The 37.000 member paramilitary border force lost at least six of its personnel in fir-
ing incidents that also claimed lives of 100 innocent Bangladeshi civilians in the last four and half years.
"The ring roads would bolster effectiveness of the BDR. beef up security and check smuggling. " Rahman said.
He said the ring roads would provide day and night communication facilities, connecting more than 500 Border Outposts (BOPs). -- -'-
BOPs are now at an average distance of 10 kilometres from one another.
"If we can build the ring roads, it would be possible to keep a continuous vigil on the entire border."
Explaining, he said. BDR toot patrol has to guard the frontiers now. On an average, it takes three to six hours to walk from one BOP to another to check "all types of intrusion and smuggling".
If ring roads are built. It will be possible for BDR vehicles to keep a continuous vigil. If two patrol teams move in opposite directions with vehicles, they would be.crossing at the midpoint between five to 10 minutes. “It will be Impossible for Intruders and smugglers to cross the border. " he said.
Besides, plans are there to add an air wing to the BDR to Increase border surveillance and check smuggling The air wing would comprise helicopters.
He also said that at least 400 BOPs could be used as cattle corridors' to allow inflow of legalised' cattle after payment of Tk 500 for each. There are now only 23 'cattle corridors' manned by the NBR. he pointed out.
The BDR chief said enhanced vigilance will increase the revenue earning enormously, which will help recover the cost for construction of the ring roads within a short time.
The ring roads will also help generate economic activities and create employment opportunities for rural people, particularly in the transport sector
The BDR chief said that an order passed in late eighties restricted BDR from going for offensive action’ against smuggling. BDR now patrols only live miles area up to the border, which limits anti-smuggling operation. A 'task force comprising police and customs officials snould be formed to patrol the areas beyond five miles into Bangladesh territory, where there may be 'camps' of smugglers or infiltrators, he said.
BDR seized smuggled goods worth over 80 crore in the first half of the current year.
Smuggled Indian goods over one billion taka enter the country through the border every year, sources said.
As a result, it Is expected that the strength of Arniy officers In BDR would be more than double. The present strength of four commissioned officers In a battalion would be increased to nine, with five officers in command of companies. Still, the ratio will be less than that m the Army, where there are 20 officers in a battalion
There are over 300 Army officers in BRD.