SHILLONG, July 3 - Following the Dhaka attack, a high alert has been sounded along the Meghalaya border, but several patches in the State remains vulnerable to infiltration as it remains unfenced due to opposition here.
The area in adverse possession in Meghalaya, which India would retain, under the bilateral Indo-Bangla land swap deal, is 240.578 acres. Likewise, India would have to transfer 41.702 acres of land in the Lobacherra-Nuncherra sector to Bangladesh under the same deal.
But, these exchanges have not been completed due to opposition from some NGOs. These areas and others in Meghalaya sector still remains unfenced and vulnerable to infiltration.
Significantly, the Central Government wanted these exchanges to be completed by June 30 this year.
Border Area Development Minister Prestone Tynsong said NGOs should give up their rigid stand and adopt the �give and take policy.� He further pointed out that the deal has been ratified by the Parliament of India and Bangladesh and there is little that can be done now.
Tynsong added the NGOs should have expressed their resentment when a joint survey was carried out to identify the areas of adverse possession.
Apart from opposing the deal, the NGOs are also demanding that the fence be erected on zero line instead of 150 yards in non-disputed areas.
As per the Indira-Mujib treaty, 1974, no defence installation can come up within 150 yards from the zero line of the boundary. Bangladesh equates the fence as a defence installation.
�Meghalaya Government has very limited role to play since this is the International border. Not only in Meghalaya, in Assam and West Bengal the give and take policy is being adopted,� the Minister said.
