The Indian government late on Monday decided to keep a gate separating an Assamese village that is surrounded on three sides by Bangladeshi territory from the rest of the state open for 12 hours everyday instead of the earlier 6 hours.

The gate is in a village called Bhodanga along the Indo-Bangla border, where no border roads could be built.

The only link the village, where about 1000 people live, has with Assam is the gate.

The gate is now opened three times a day for two hours.

Residents in the bordering towns and villages welcomed the decision.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said on Monday that the gate would open at 0630 IST in the morning and closed at 1730 IST in winter season.

In summer, it will be opened at 0630 IST and closed at 1830 IST.

Earlier, people having parts of cultivable lands on the other side of the gate within the Indian territory faced immense hardship.

The government will also form a border friends committee to improve the relation between Border Security Force and people living in the border areas.