By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 22: The state government has approached the Centre seeking compensation for landowners affected by fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, arguing that financial redress should extend to land rendered inaccessible behind the wire.
Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday stated that the concerns raised by border residents are genuine and involve serious livelihood implications. He confirmed that the state has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to compensate not only for land acquired for the fence but also for portions that fall beyond the perimeter, which often become unusable for owners.
Tynsong noted that addressing this gap is essential to ensure fairness while implementing border security measures.
Currently, approximately 50 kilometres of the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya remains unfenced. Tynsong explained that while efforts to complete the project are underway, challenges regarding land ownership and local resistance persist.
Several landowners and traditional heads, including Rangbah Shnongs, have opposed alignments that push large tracts of their property into the “no man’s land” zone, effectively depriving them of access and cultivation rights.
The situation is further complicated by the Indira-Mujib Treaty, which restricts the construction of permanent structures within 150 yards of the international boundary. When fencing is erected within this limit, substantial cultivable land and plantations fall into a restricted zone, severely disrupting agricultural activities.
With several villages situated within this buffer zone, the government emphasized the need for a coordinated mechanism to ensure border security does not come at the cost of local livelihoods.
