Shillong, July 13: Border Security Force Director General, KK Sharma said that cattle smuggling has gone down in the last four years.

Sharma told reporters in Shillong on Friday that the BSF tried to stop and reduce the cattle smuggling, which they have succeeded to a great extent.

According to Sharma, around 1,000 kilometers of the 4,096 Indo-Bangla boder has not been fenced due to issues of riverine and difficult areas.

Stating that there is humanitarian issue with cattle smuggling, the DG said that in Bengal, there are many cattle haats located close to the border and local population there are dependent on cattle for livelihood since time immemorial.

He further stated that population on both sides of the Indo-Bangla boder has ethnic and religious similarities and population is settled right till the zero line and in such circumstances, it is difficult to guard the border to completely rule out criminal activities

Asked about the poor road and connectivity in the border areas, he said that work on road , fencing of border and installing flood lights are being taken up in phased manner and there are sufficient funds from the Ministry of Home Affairs for the purpose.

Earlier, Border Security Force Director General K K Sharma also addressed the personnel of the force here at its frontier quarter in Shillong.