New Delhi, Jan. 22: An uncooperative Dhaka and the logistical hurdles of putting a floating border police outpost in place have left the riverine stretch of the porous Indo-Bangladesh boundary in Assam without a strong line of defence against illegal migration.

The Union home ministry had been hoping that a floating border outpost would be built in Guwahati and transported through the Brahmaputra to Dhubri, which shares a long riverine border with Bangladesh.

The ministry had asked the Mumbai-based Mazgaon Docks Ltd (MDL) to examine the feasibility of constru- cting the vessel in the state capital.

MDL group general manager S.S. Koundinya, however, ruled out the option, citing lack of infrastructure in Guwahati for such a project. He said the BSF was formally intimated about it after an MDL team visited the city and found the proposal unfeasible.

The home ministry’s decision to ask MDL to build a new border outpost in Guwahati followed Dhaka’s refusal to allow a floating border outpost stationed in the Sunderbans to be transported to Dhubri through its waterways.

Sources said the issue was raised on several occasions over the past few years, but the Bangladesh authorities refused to budge.

Dhaka’s reluctance is not surprising, considering that it has never acknowledged illegal migration or the presence of insurgent camps in that country.

A Congress MP from Assam expressed surprise over the fact that the Union home ministry went ahead with its plan to build a border outpost in Calcutta despite knowing that the neighbouring country had never co-operated with India on “such sensitive issues”.

He said the issue would be raised in Parliament during the budget session.

A floating border outpost, which takes almost a year to build, is a police station with barracks that can accommodate as many as 100 personnel.

A standard vessel has an area of 2,400 sq feet, resembling a small ship with facilities for storing communication equipment, records and arms.

It is estimated that approximately Rs 35 crore will be needed to build a vessel of that size.

Of the total 263-km-long border that Assam shares with Bangladesh, 49 km is riverine, spread over Dhubri and Karimganj.

A highly-placed home ministry official said the Dhubri sector was in greater need of the border outpost since it was witnessing llegal migration and smuggling.

Sources said MDL would be approached again to visit Guwahati and examine the feasibility of creating infrastructure to build a border outpost.

“A meeting is likely to be held with MDL officials shortly. They will be briefed about the urgent need for such a mechanism in Dhubri.”