BINURUSLA Residents of a village along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya staged a demonstration on Sunday demanding the erection of fencing along the zero line, otherwise they will be cut off from the rest of the country.
Literally located on the zero line in the East Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya, Lingkhong is one of the few villages whose houses are located within a few meters of a settlement in Bangladesh. According to international agreements, the fence must be at least 150 yards from the zero line.
Locals say the village was largely separated from Bangladesh by a bamboo fence erected by villagers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and nothing much has changed.
On Sunday, they staged a protest and submitted a memorandum to the Penursala divisional officer, demanding an immediate stop to the ongoing fencing work.
“We are not against the border fence, but we want to erect the fence at the zero line so that our village remains within India and within the fenced area,” village head Ramu told PTI.
He said the proposed alignment would leave Lingkhong outside the security wall, raising concerns about access, security and the future of the settlement.
Echoing similar concerns, Rima Khongsdir, a local resident, said: “If the fence is built in its current alignment, our village will be left out. We are worried about our future and want the state government to listen to our concerns and take them up with the government of India.”
The construction of the border fence is continuing as part of efforts to secure the India-Bangladesh border, officials said.
Meghalaya has a 444 km border with Bangladesh, of which less than 80 km remains unfenced due to local issues and difficult terrain.
A senior Border Security Force official said that an outpost has already been set up in Lingkung to provide security and assistance to residents.
He added, “Border Guard forces are present in the village and all necessary security measures are being taken to ensure the safety of residents.”
A senior Home Ministry official said that India has discussed with Bangladesh the issue of building a single-row fence along the zero line in areas where human settlements are likely to be affected.
“Talks have begun on the proposal to set up a single-line fence at the zero line. However, the new government of Bangladesh is yet to take a decision on this matter,” the official said.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
