Joint border survey resumes again
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The survey of the adversely possessed lands (APLs) along the international border between Meghalaya and Bangladesh resumed once again on Saturday after a brief gap providing a sigh of relief to the survey officials from both the countries.
Officials of the State Survey department on Saturday said, negotiations between survey officials of Meghalaya and Bangladesh have led to resumption of the survey of the APLs along the international border last week.
“After the survey resumed, the joint verification has been completed in Pyrdiwah, Naljuri I and III and Tamabil. The Lyngkhat I and II tracts would be completed by Monday,” a state survey official said. According to an official, the joint officials will once again sit for discussions to come out with a solution for certain conflict areas where there is no agreement between the two countries.
The verification of the APLs, beginning at the Sylhet-Meghalaya border, is being conducted by the land records officials from both the sides.
The official also maintained that preparation of maps and the process of joint signatures would be over before August 15.
It may be mentioned that the joint survey between Meghalaya and Bangladesh were stalled on several occasion due to opposition of residents of villages along the border and difference of opinion between the survey officials of both the countries.
The conflict areas, where an agreement is yet to be reached between the two sides includes Muktapur, Amki, Amjalong and Rongkon which are claimed by Meghalaya but not endorsed by Bangladesh.
Indian survey officials are contemplating to complete the joint survey before Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s proposed visit to Bangladesh in September.
According to official records, currently there are 551.8 acres of Bangladeshi land under “adverse possession” of India (Assam and Meghalaya) while 226.81 acres of Indian land is under adverse possession of Bangladesh.
