Border fencing renders thousands landless in Tripura

Agartala, June 14 : Thousands of families along the Indo-Bangladesh border have been displaced owing to the drive by the Indian authorities to seal of the porous border.

More than 8000 families whose homes and farmlands fall along the barbed wire fence are homeless. They claim that they are leading an uncertain life with no alternative land being allocated to them by the government.

"I had to evacuate my house consisting of three mud huts. I have lost my property also. Initially, I was assured of compensation, but have not received anything," said Namita Sarkar, a displaced woman.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar had recently advised augmentation of the security in the border along with starting a fresh sealing drive.

Due to lack of funds, the rehabilitation of the displaced is still not in place.

"We send a proposal to the government, home department to rehabilitate these families. 25 per cent of money will be borne by us. We will give them two to three gonds of land to settle their house. We are not getting any response from the Government of India," said Badal Chowdhury, Tripura's Finance and Revenue Minister.

He added that thirteen government institutions, five temples, four mosques, 44 irrigation projects, two government schools and many markets along the border with Tripura have fallen within the 150-yard belt from the zero line of the border.

In an attempt to counter the decade old problem of insurgency, the State Government in Tripura has advocated better fencing along the 865 kilometer Indo-Bangladesh border.

India has been erecting barbed wire fencing in most parts of the 856-km border that Tripura shares with Bangladesh to check the trans-border movement of militants, illegal migration and border crimes. By Pinaki Das

ANI