Khowai, Feb 3 (bdnews24.com) -- Border guards of India and Bangladesh held a meeting followed by a friendly football match at the border town of Khowai, 75 km north of Agartala, to improve relations that have recently come under strains.
The 16-member Border Security Force team was led by Arun Kumar Tambe, DIG Teliamura sector while the 17-strong Border Guard Bangladesh delegates came under the leadership of Khair-uz-Zaman, Sylhet sector commander.
At the end of the meeting on Friday there was a friendly football match between the two teams.
The BGB men gave a tough fight but BSF won the tiebreaker 4-3 in extra time.
At the meeting, the delegations decided to meet every four months to discuss issues like trans-border crime, movement of militants and smuggling of arms, drugs, contraband and cattle, besides identifying vulnerable points for infiltrators and on joint patrolling.
"To improve the situation along the border and to give better protection to people living along both sides of border, BSF and BGB has decided to meet every four months," BSF spokesperson Sudhir Kumar told reporters.
"BSF and BGB troopers would undertake joint patrolling along the disputed, vulnerable and crime prone areas of the India-Bangladesh border," he added.
India and Bangladesh has a porous and vulnerable 4096 km long border running through dense forests and habitats. India has erected fences at many places.
After a recent decision on fast exchange of information of criminals and fugitives, both nations are now also looking in to the scope of signing an extradition treaty.
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