SHILLONG: The Border Security Force (BSF) has deposited around Rs 110 crore with the State Government for the land acquisition along the Indo-Bangla border for border fencing work in Meghalaya
Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, BSF Meghalaya IG, PK Dubey said that around Rs 37 crore has been deposited for land acquisition in East Khasi Hills whereas Rs 74 crore has been deposited for Jaintia Hills region.
The BSF is yet to fence around 90 kilometers of the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.
The BSF IG also asserted that the force during the survey ensured that no Indian village is shifted to Bangladesh and fencing will be done very close to international border
Assuring that no village in Indian side would be displaced after the fencing, the BSF chief in Meghalaya said that in some stretches, fencing would take place even within 50 yards from the international border
Stating that border fencing would reduce the criminal movement along the border to a great extent and added that it would do great benefit if the fencing work along the border is completed before the elections in Bangladesh in 2019. “We will have better border surveillance with fencing,” he said.
Dubey added that the Supreme Court had set a deadline of September 2019 to complete the fencing along the Indo Bangla border and recently, the monitoring committee of the Apex Court visited the state to review the progress of the fencing work. It was also informed that the BSF cannot construct the fencing through the zero line as per the Geneva convention
Meanwhile, the BSF official asserted that cattle smuggling in the state has increased since last eight months and lot of syndicates from Assam are shifting.
“We have taken lot of special measures and we are conducting joint operations with police,” he said.
The cattle smuggling takes place in certain stretches of the border in East Khasi Hills and Garo Hills.