AGARTALA, Aug 29 (TIWN): While addressing the 3rd Tripura Conclave organised by Tripura Infoway.com on August 26 at Sukanta Academy, Governor Tathagata Roy once again gave the call for simplifying the VISA system between India and Bangladesh.

He said the visa system between Bangladesh and India should be simplified and he has taken up the matter with the central government. Roy, a former leader of BJP in West Bengal, said, “Nearly half of the border of Bangladesh is with West Bengal and many terrorists from the country are using the state as their sanctuary. It is alarming.”

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy earlier also said he is in favour of doing away with the visa system between India and Bangladesh so that there is easier cross-border movement of people.

"Why this visa system between India and Bangladesh? This visa system must be removed. I would soon propose to MEA (ministry of external affairs) to remove this visa system, he said earlier.

"The leadership of the two countries can sit together and decide about the elimination of visa system, ensuring easy movement of people of two countries," said Roy, a former member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive.

The friendship between Bangladesh and India has strengthened to a point where visa has become unnecessary, he said.

For the first time, the conclave organised by TIWN was held in a double format -- a close door session to develop a roadmap for closer India-Bangladesh security cooperation, in which only leading security officials and experts were allowed and the usual open session where some of these experts addressed the issue before a public audience at Sukanta Academy. Conclave Convenor Saumen Sarkar , a leading authority on Cyber Security based in US, detailed latest developments in this field and stressed on the need for Bangladesh and specially bordering Indian states like Assam and Tripura to develop capabilities to fight terrorism in the cyberspace .

Governor Roy highlighted crucial national security issues connected to cross-border terrorism emanating from Bangladesh that threatens to engulf India's East and Northeast.

"While the northeastern states like Assam and Tripura are well up to face the challenge and constantly deliberating on it, West Bengal should pull up its socks and address the issue squarely," Roy said.

Governor also highlighted the need to go ahead with the Teesta Water sharing agreement with Bangladesh . " The right of the lower riparian cannot be ignored. If we could have an agreement on Indus Waters with  Pakistan and honor it despite several wars and Pakistani sponsorship of terrorism on Indian soil, why cant we have such an agreement with Bangladesh soon," Governor Roy.