Shillong, Jul 29: The Meghalaya government has appealed to the Centre to acquire land falling within the 150-yard restricted zone along the Indo-Bangladesh border to facilitate seamless border fencing and bolster security in vulnerable areas.
By treaty signed between India and Bangladesh, any border fence cannot be closer than 150 yards from the border. Due to the challenging terrain in Meghalaya, in some places the fence runs even farther inside Indian territory. This means that a lot of Indian citizens’ property lies on the wrong side of the fence – still technically within India but hard to access. This leaves farmers vulnerable to theft, vandalism and even kidnapping.
Most of the border fence is complete along Meghalaya’s 443km border with Bangladesh. The state government has now submitted a proposal to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to acquire land within the restricted belt, so that residents can be appropriately compensated and relocated, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed today.
According to Tynsong, this would allow border fencing to be completed without leaving inhabited areas beyond the fence. Such a measure, he said, would also strengthen surveillance and improve the overall management of the international border.
The renewed appeal comes amid persistent concerns over cross-border infiltration, smuggling and other illegal activities along the unfenced stretches of Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh.
The state government has maintained that completing the border fencing is critical to enhancing national security while ensuring the safety and welfare of communities residing along the international border.
