Centre agrees to fencing close to zero line: Kropha

SHILLONG: Clearing the air over Indo-Bangladesh border fencing, Chief Secretary K.S Kropha said the Centre has agreed to keep the fencing close to the zero line to accommodate habitations.
Several NGOs and pressure groups were protesting during the survey for the fencing as they were apprehensive that the State would lose lakhs of square kilometers of land. But the Chief Secretary asserted that Meghalaya has gained around 240 acres of land while Bangladesh has retained only 41 acres of land.
“The Government of India had agreed that fencing should be as close to the zero line as possible to ensure that habitations are not left outside the fence,” he said, adding that the contentious issues were addressed during a meeting with the residents along the border.
The border fencing has started and is being monitored by the Centre and the Supreme Court. Land acquisition for the remaining 80km is under process.
Replying to a query on the opposition by NGOs and residents, he said, “They maintained that they should get back their land on the Bangladesh side but this is something that is not negotiable since the boundary has been agreed upon and the pact has been ratified by both the parliaments.”
“We are helpless as a state government as now we have very little say. Whatever was feasible and whatever concerns they had, have been addressed,” he added. The State Government will ensure that the work is complete within the stipulated time.
Highlighting the role of the Border Security Force (BSF), Kropha said BSF is already on guard to defend the plantations and cultivations outside the fence up to the zero line. Also, “the residents are quite satisfied” as they can still do their cultivation on the 150 yards from the zero line, he added.