From Our Correspondent
AGARTALA:The fencing-hit people under the banner of Tripura Shimanta Bhoomi Suraksha Committee (TSBSC) will launch massive agitation demanding proper rehabilitation.
“A meeting of the TSBSC will be convened within short period time to finalize the next course of agitation and hopefully agitation will begin from next month”, said Subal Bhowmik, president of TSBSC here on Monday.
According to him, a meeting of the TSBSC was held shortly before the Durga puja and the agitional programme was suspended due to festivals. “ But, the fence-victims people who are fuming over the role of the government, will take to the streets on the genuine demands”, he said.
Of the total 8,730 affected families, around 4,000 families have been rehabilitated and given land and money for construction of houses and the process is on to rehabilitate the remaining families.
Earlier, the state had proposed a Rs. 93 crore project to the Centre for proper rehabilitation of displaced villagers, but the Centre rejected it. The Centre had previously sanctioned Rs. 28,000 per family for construction of a hut only.
Around 19,300 acres of land had already been fenced out pushing the farmers in bleak future. The affected farmers want fencing to come up along zero line but the Bangladesh government has always been opposing it. In the wake of pressure, Bangladesh government had agreed to allow fencing in three patches in West Tripura district — Mohanpur, Akhaura and Kasba, but the Centre was parleying with the neighbouring country to allow ten more such areas.
Barbed wire fencing had been completed in the along 676 kms stretch out of total 841 kms and 37 kms fencing were delayed and in cases kept in abeyance due to organised protests of villagers from border areas. The work is in progress along 97.60 km Indo-Bangla border. The project which was kicked off in 2002, is scheduled to get completed by next year-2012.