Tripura: Demarcation cause suffering to villagers

Agartala, July 01: India will cut off 73,000 of it's citizens to follow the British demarcation of Indo-Bangladesh border near Tripura, it was what exactly Israel did with Palestinians in West Bank security fence.

About a decade ago, India had undertaken an ambitious project to fence 3,286 km of its 4096 km border with Bangladesh in Tripura, Asom, Meghalaya, Mizoram and West Bengal to contain migration and cross-border criminal activities, defined during British rule. So far 2,500 km had been fenced.

The international boyundary divides many places near the border between Bangladesh and Tripura into half.

About 17 families in Sharmalungma area here have already abandoned their three decade old homes and shifted to a patch of wasteland through patches of jungle in the state.

It would also leave thousands of bonafide Indians, farmland, seven temples and 33 government institutions in Tripura trapped in a no-man's land, between the fence and the Bangladesh border.

India is building the fence to check illegal migration and smuggling but the fence does not run along the border only, but 150 yards inside that.

The countrty's scrupulous adherence to the norms of Indira-Mujib pact-1975 had resulted in 120 sq km of fertile land falling outside the fence in Tripura. The agreement prohibits the construction of any permanent structure within 150 yards on either side of the boundary.

Many of the villagers are living in makeshift hut of bamboo and corrugated aluminium.

State Revenue Minister Keshab Majumder said,''We have urged the Centre to sanction required fund for resettlement of the displaced families immediately.'' Whereas, Forest minister Jitendra Choudhury said the government had sent a proposal of allowing the people to use the reserve forestland to the Environment and Forest ministry.

At least 25 illegal occupants were evacuated from reserve forest area at Boxnagar in West Tripura due to the erection of barbed wire fence.

The state forest department has also lodged complaint of violation of Forest Act against the fenced victim, who try to occupy the forest area. There are no adequate forest guards to combat the activities.

Indian authority has also communicated to Bangladesh that in a few places there are markets, temples, roads and other assets within 150 yards of the border, forcing it to make adjustments in the alignment of the fence.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh border guards have objected to the fencing at more than 100 places along international border with Tripura saying that the fence within 150 yards is violation of the agreement.

UNI