Shillong: Meghalaya officials want the federal government to settle land disputes blocking the construction of border fencing along the Bangladesh boundary. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong confirmed that residents from Garo Hills to East Jaintia Hills support the security project, but fear for their livelihoods. Roughly 45 km of territory remains a sticking point.
Farmers worry the proposed barricade will trap their fields on the far side of the wire. They fear this land will effectively turn into abandoned territory where they cannot farm or work. Tynsong warned, "The only issue the landowners have a reservation about is the land. Once the fencing is completed, the land beyond the fencing will become like no-man’s land. They cannot even go for cultivation."
Landowners now demand that the Indian government seize these trapped parcels and pay fair compensation. The state government has escalated these requests to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Officials are waiting for a reply to help finish the 443-kilometre border project without destroying local property rights.
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