Centre agrees to rehabilitate victims of Tripura fencing

Agartala, Mar 25: The Centre has agreed to rehabilitate about 7,500 families, who were rendered homelesss due to fencing work along the Tripura-Bangladesh border.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar here today said the rehabilitation task would begin soon, as the Central government had agreed to provide funds for resettlement of the victims in Indian Territory and the state government has been looking for safe and feasible land for the purpose. A stretch of about 642 kms has so far been fenced out of the total 856 kms international border between Tripura and Bangladesh.

He, however, stated that opening and closing of designated gates on the fenced Indo-Bangla border had emerged as a major problem for farmers living in all 14 border subdivisions across the state.

''Although there is a clear guideline for the opening and closing of gates along the border, it has not been implement at the grassroot level, causing confusion in some areas,'' Mr Sarkar said, adding that the state government decision to erect barbed wire fencing from zero point line could not be maintained due to strong opposition from the Bangladesh Rifles(BDR) as a result of which, a sizeable area of cultivable land and constructions went out the fencing.

In view of the safety of the Indian villagers, whose land went beyond the fencing, BSF authorities have identified certain emergency gates so that people could cross the fenced border but assured that the state government would discuss the matter with the BSF authorities regarding this matter, Mr Sarkar added.

UNI