SHILLONG, APR 22: The Meghalaya government has requested the Centre to compensate landowners for land that falls outside the fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border, calling it a “genuine issue” affecting livelihoods.
According to deputy chief minister in-charge Home Prestone Tynsong, the remaining unfenced border in the entire Indo-Bangladesh border is about 50km more or less.
“We are trying our best to make sure that this 50 odd km is fenced. However, some challenges are being faced,” he told reporters.
He said landowners and headmen have objected to fencing alignments that push cultivable land into no man’s land.
“…some land owners and headmen said if the fencing has to go from here then the maximum of the land falls to the no man’s land. If that is the case then the government of India has to pay us compensation for even those areas falling outside the fencing,” he said.
“That is the opposition from the land owners. This issue in fact is very genuine issue and we are taking up with the Ministry of Home Affairs to convince the government of India not to do the compensation only at the stretch of those construction of fencing but it should also be the land which is outside the fencing, they also need to account this loss which directly affects the livelihood of the land owners and people of the state,” Tynsong added.
On steps being taken while the land issue remains unresolved, he said the Centre has tightened border security.
“I think the government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a very strict regulation to the border security forces as well as to the respective state governments to be more proactive making sure that no infiltrators happens in the entire stretch of the Indo-Bangla border,” he said.
“As far as BSF is concerned, even the additional forces have been placed in those vulnerable places,” Tynsong said.
