Parliament Parliamentary Committee
864 km of India-Bangladesh border remains unfenced
The Standing Committee on External Affairs examined the state of India-Bangladesh relations to identify security, trade, and diplomatic challenges.
Who it concerns: Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs (implied via border management/immigration), and the general public affected by border security, trade, and water resources.
What the committee found
- Law and order: Committee noted instability in Bangladesh and recommended India support democratic processes and counter anti-India narratives.
- Boundary agreement: Committee flagged unresolved demarcation challenges in areas like the Sundarbans and recommended expediting the process.
- Border management: Committee noted 864 km of the 4,096 km border is unfenced; recommended expediting fencing for the feasible 689 km and deploying modern surveillance tools (drones, sensors).
- Illegal immigration: Committee noted 2,369 cases of suspected Bangladeshi nationals awaiting verification and recommended establishing a dedicated bilateral mechanism or joint working group.
- Trade relations: Committee identified obstacles including import duties, port congestion, and warehousing deficiencies; recommended upgrading infrastructure, concluding CEPA negotiations by 2026, and finalizing BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement protocols.
- Lines of Credit (LOCs): Committee observed that several projects under the ~USD 10 billion assistance package have not commenced or face delays; recommended a comprehensive review of the LOC portfolio.
- Chinese influence: Committee noted growing Chinese influence in Bangladesh’s defence and infrastructure and recommended closer monitoring.
- Water co-operation: Committee noted agreements exist only for the Ganga and two other rivers out of 54 shared; recommended beginning discussions on the Ganga Water Treaty (expiring 2026) and regular meetings of the Joint Rivers Commission.
Also in the document
- 864 km of the shared land border remains unfenced.
- 2,369 cases of suspected Bangladeshi nationals are awaiting nationality verification.
- India has extended developmental assistance of nearly USD 10 billion to Bangladesh as LOCs and grants, with several projects not yet commenced.
- The Ganga Water Treaty is set to expire in 2026.
How this was written
An AI model running on our own computer read the government document and wrote this summary. No person has checked it.
✓ Figures checked. Every number in this summary was found in the document by an automated check.
That check compares numbers only. It cannot confirm that the wording says what the document says — so the original document is always the authority.
The original document
Parliamentary Standing Committee reports (via PRS Legislative Research)
Committee report · Ref. future-of-india-bangladesh-relationship
Read it here
Discussion
No one has discussed this document yet.