SHILLONG: The Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB) said on Friday it has no objection to the preliminary survey by the East Khasi Hills District Administration along the Indo-Bangla border at Pyrdiwah.
CCIB Secretary Kmen Myrchiang said this on Friday after the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, PS Dkhar, convened a meeting of the land owners of the border areas and CCIB for discussing the survey that needs to be conducted for border fencing.
Stating that CCIB “never instigates anyone”, Myrchiang said the organisation “is for the farmers and land owners and the border population” since lakhs of square kilometers of land belonging to Meghalaya have are now under the possession of Bangladesh due to wrong demarcation,
He also alleged that the survey along the border was not done as per the guidelines of the Nehru-Noon Agreement of 1958 and added that they will agree to the survey only when the fencing is realigned as per the Agreement.
Myrchiang lamented that reports of such surveys are never shared with the NGO. “As per the agreement, the demarcation between India and Bangladesh should have been right in the middle of River Umngot but surprisingly, the pillar is lying towards the Indian side to which we are opposed,” he said.
The CCIB secretary also slammed the BSF assurances that villages will be allowed to cultivate even after the fencing saying people in Garo Hills have become refugees in their own land after the fencing and they cannot do any plantation nor they have basic facilities like water and power.
The border survey in the jurisdiction of East Khasi Hills is almost over and only 7.5 km is left in Pyrdiwah areas and it is said that the survey for the remaining area will start in 10 days.
