Agartala, Nov 28 (TIWN / IANS) Drug smuggling has increased along the India-Bangladesh border while the vigil along the frontiers has been tightened to curb it, a top BSF official said here Friday.

"BSF (Border Security Forces) troopers have seized and destroyed drugs and cannabis plants valued at Rs.270 crore along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura," Inspector General B.N. Sharma told reporters.

He said: "Since 2012, over 1,017,255 cannabis plants valued at Rs.255 crore have been destroyed along the border with Bangladesh."

The seizure of drugs has been rising along the border, he said and added the BSF also seized a huge quantity of contraband valued at Rs.36.52 crore.

Plantations of cannabis are done on a large scale in the interior and inaccessible areas of the border region. Since most of these plantations are tucked away in hills and forests, government agencies have a tough time to detect and destroy them.

According to officials, a large number of villagers in Tripura cultivate cannabis and smuggle it to Bangladesh to earn money.

"There is a huge demand for cannabis in Bangladesh, and Tripura plays a key role in meeting this demand," the official said.

India has been erecting barbed wire fence and putting up floodlights along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram to check trans-border movement of militants.

"Around 90 percent of the Tripura borders has been fenced and floodlights put on to check crimes, infiltration and trans-border movement of militants," Sharma said.

He said: "CCTV (close circuit television) cameras are being installed in BOPs (border outposts) and biometric devices are being used for better management."

The BSF official said the paramilitary forces have been setting up of composite BOPs along the border to provide more facilities to guards.

"At least 64 composite BOPs would be set up along the 856 km India-Bangladesh border with Tripura. At least 22 such BOPs have already been set up and work on the remaining is in progress," Sharma said.