Landowners concerned over losing land in ‘no man’s land’
Shillong, April 22: In its effort to help expedite the border fencing work in unfenced portions of Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh, the state government has urged the Centre to compensate landowners for their land outside the fencing.
Terming it a “genuine issue” that needs attention since it affects livelihoods, deputy chief minister in-charge Home, Prestone Tynsong, acknowledged the challenges in convincing the border residents for construction of the border fencing.
The landowners’ demand for compensation for their land outside the fencing has been a major roadblock in the fencing work in remaining 50 km of Meghalaya’s 443-km-long border with Bangladesh.
“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 would be in no man’s land. If that is the case, government of India has to pay us compensation for even those areas falling outside the fencing,” he said.
“This issue in fact is very genuine issue and we are taking up with the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Tynsong said.
The landowners, not only wand compensation for the stretch where fencing would pass through, but also for the land outside the fencing.
“They (GoI) need to account this loss which directly affects livelihood of the land owners…,” Tynsong said.
On steps being taken while the land issue remains unresolved, he said the Centre has already issued directives to the Border Security Force and respective state governments to tighten border vigil to check infiltration along the entire Indo-Bangla border, he said.
“As far as BSF is concerned, even the additional forces have been placed in those vulnerable places,” Tynsong said.
