Shillong, Sept 5: With the present unrest in Bangladesh forcing several of its citizens to flee from the country, Meghalaya government would take up the fencing work of the remaining 50 plus km stretch along the India Bangladesh border.
This stretch in the Meghalaya sector has remained unfenced and is vulnerable, despite efforts by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the state police to prevent infiltration.
An example is the dumping of the body of Bangladesh’s Awami League leader, Ishaque Ali Khan Panna, in the unfenced sector of East Jaintia Hills.
These stretches have remained unfenced due to opposition by the organisations, primarily the Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB). The CCIB wants the fencing to come up from zero line.
However, as per a bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh, defence installations can come up only 150 yards from the zero line. Bangladesh views the fence as a defence installation.
The unfenced stretches not only remain vulnerable to infiltration, but remain a grey area for smuggling and other nefarious activities, including sneaking in and out of militants and anti-socials. On many occasions, the BSF found the involvement of the local border population in such crimes.
Therefore, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday said from border pillar number 1250 to 1350 fencing work is pending and “now with the emergency kind of situation (at these unfenced border areas) we need to take a stand”.
He said efforts would be taken up to fence these areas and move towards some solution taking into confidence the people in these areas. “We are moving towards a solution by getting local people on board for the larger safety of the people in these areas”, the CM informed.
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