30 per cent of Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya yet to be fenced: BSF

SHILLONG:

The Border Security Force (BSF) Eastern Frontier has said that fencing of 30 per cent of areas along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya is yet to be completed.

“In Meghalaya, about 70 per cent fencing has been completed and around 30 per cent is left because of problems related to land acquisition,” BSF DIG (PSO), D Haokip told the press on November 30, adding that an amount of Rs 104.64 crore has been sanctioned for completing the work, and efforts are on to finish fencing of the remaining areas in East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills.

He added that the prolonged process of land acquisition is one of the stumbling blocks in the process as the land belongs to individuals and communities and not the government.

Brushing of all allegations from protestors living along the border areas that once fencing is complete, they will be robbed of their land, the DIG said, “No land will fall into Bangladesh as international boundaries are marked (and) already well demarcated.”

Reacting to the demand of construction of fencing along the Zero Line, Haokip said that no fencing can be done on the Zero Line as that’s against international boundary norms, according to which construction of barbwire fencing has to be done 150-yards inside the country.

“We wanted that but we have to follow the international norm. This is applicable not only to the BSF, not only to India, but also to the neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh,” he said.

Haokip also informed that for villages lying exactly on the border or very close to the border, a permission or a concurrence has to be taken from the Government of Bangladesh through the BGB for the construction of single-row fencing as per the situation on the ground.

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