Agartala, April 24, 2025: Tripura Pradesh Congress President Asish Kumar Saha on Thursday raised serious concerns over the illegal construction of dams by the Bangladesh government along the border areas of Kailashahar and Belonia subdivisions under Unakoti and South Tripura districts, respectively. Alleging a looming threat of submergence in these regions, Saha criticized the silence of both the central and state governments on the matter.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of Tripura, Saha urged immediate and permanent action to resolve the issue. “The people of bordering subdivisions like Kailashahar and Belonia are at risk due to the construction of high dams by the Bangladesh government, yet both the Centre and the state remain indifferent,” he stated.
Highlighting the foreign policy failures under the current regime, Saha wrote, “The traditionally balanced foreign policy of independent India has weakened under the Modi government. Today, the bordering states are paying the price.” He pointed out that after the 2023 floods, Bangladesh began building dams along its Tripura border, causing extensive damage to agricultural lands and flooding areas like Kailashahar with minimal rainfall.
The Congress leader also mentioned that MLA Birajit Sinha had raised the issue in the state assembly and initiated protests in Kailashahar. However, he lamented, “Despite some initial movement, the Bangladesh government has not halted construction in accordance with international norms. Instead, they have started building another dam on the Belonia border.”
He emphasized the legal aspects, saying, “Any construction on international borders must adhere to specific rules and regulations. The central government must intervene promptly.”
Saha also recalled the construction of the 700-kilometer barbed wire fence along the India-Bangladesh border, which, he said, left 150 meters of Indian territory from the zero line, adversely impacting tea gardens, rubber plantations, and croplands. “Citizens sacrificed in the interest of bilateral relations, but today their properties and lives are in jeopardy due to inaction,” he added.
Recent floods in Belonia submerged parts of the city, including the hospital, washing away essential medicines. Saha warned that minority communities living near the border have been pushed behind the fence, “forced to live like foreigners in their own land, despite valid citizenship and documents.”
“The government must act before the monsoon. Permanent solutions are needed, not only to stop illegal dam constructions but also to safeguard the rights and lives of our citizens,” he asserted.
