Guwahati, July 23: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said the Centre and the state government had initiated steps to seal the India-Bangladesh border in the state on the lines of the international border in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

Addressing the first convention of Simanta Chetna Mancha, Northeast, an NGO here, Sonowal said measures had been initiated to fence the 70km porous riverine border in Dhubri, Karimganj and Mankachar districts to check infiltration and cross-border smuggling. The convention was held at the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati.

"People of the state are now alert against jihadi activities through the Bangladesh border. Both Centre and the state government have already sought help from people living along the border to seal the India-Bangladesh border in Assam. The border will be protected like it is done in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. A secure border will ensure safety and security of the people and the sovereignty of the country," Sonowal said.

The process to update the National Register of Citizens 1951 is under way in full swing to detect the illegal migrants and protect the citizens of the country, Sonowal added. The NRC is being updated in the state and those proving their or their forefathers' existence in Assam on or before March 24, 1971, would be included in the updated NRC. The NRC is being updated under the supervision of the Supreme Court. "The state government is trying to solve the problems confronting our state with the help and assistance of the people," Sonowal said.

The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Dilip Paul, BSF additional director-general Ramesh Kumar Singh, co-ordinator of Akhil Bharatiya Simanta Chetna Mancha, A. Gopalkrishnan, and deputy chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council, Kampa Borgoyari, were some of the dignitaries who attended the convention.