Ado over barbing Indo-Bangla fence

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 6. — Though the Centre has been trying hard to implement the barbed wire fencing project along the Indo-Bangladesh border in order to check cross-border infiltration, officials today said that a few areas are not suitable to complete the proposed project.

To expedite the fencing work at Shobhapur in Kaliachak III block— an infiltration prone area— the land acquisition department today handed over the land to the central public works department.

“Over one-km long stretch, bordering Malda and Murshidabad districts, the project is yet to be taken up owing to the proximity between the rivers Ganga and Padma”, an official here said.

“We cannot cover such an area apprehending erosion problem. For this reason, it was left out,” said an engineer of the central public works department.

Similarly, another proposal for barbed wire fencing stretching over 1.40 km long located at Chori-Anantapur, another vulnerable for infiltration and smuggling of various items including essential commodities and importing fake currency from the Bangladesh side is under process.

The state government has issued public notices stating that the lands required for fencing is likely to be acquired.

It would take at least five months for completion of land acquisition, a state official said.On the other hand, another proposed fencing work near the disputed border areas near the Adampur and Muchia border outposts has been stalled and is awaiting for a fresh dialogue between the representatives of the two countries about the final decision of the areas operation along the Mahananda river.

At Agra-Harishchandrapur owing to the protest and non-cooperation of the villagers another fencing and border road project along the river Punarbhaba has been suspended till its final solution.

A senior engineer of central public works department said: “The entire project is being implemented according to the availability of all requirements.” #

Posted on 7 Dec. @ 08.25 am ( IST)