GUWAHATI, Sept 8 � The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi undermined democracy by giving away Assam�s land to Bangladesh without discussing the issue in the Parliament or State Assembly, alleged former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
Addressing a Press conference here today, Mahanta said that the Governments at Delhi and Dispur were hatching a conspiracy to hand over Assam�s land to Bangladesh for a long time and that is why official reports regarding construction of fencing well inside Indian territory in Barak valley were kept under wraps.
Mahanta said that according to reports available with him, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Karimganj, Jiten Borgoyari sent a report to the Chief Secretary through the Deputy Commissioner on February last year about
construction of the fencing well inside the Indian territory in violation of the norms, but the Government kept quiet about the matter.
The report of the ADC said that the Central Government undertakings NBCC and NPCC violated the norms while constructing the boundary fencing. The report said that though the fencing should be constructed 150 yards from the border pillars, in some parts it is constructed well inside the Indian Territory. Near the border pillar number 1370/3-S, the fencing was constructed 1200 to 1300 meters inside Indian Territory. Similarly, near the pillar number 1370/4-S, it is constructed 1400 to 1500 metres inside India, near 1370/5-S, it was constructed 1600 to 1700 meters inside India, and near border pillar number 1370/6-S it is constructed around 1700 to 1800 meters inside India. Same is the case near border pillars 1371 and 1371/1-S as the fencing is constructed more than 1500 meters inside India.
Mahanta asked the Government to clarify as to why no action was taken on the report for more than a year.
On the Boraibari area which was handed over to Bangladesh as per the land border agreement, Mahanta said that as per land records, the area belonged to three Indian persons up to 1961 and the then ADC took over the land because of the failure of the owners to pay the land tax and later the land was allotted to others.
Meanwhile, the AGP steering committee has resolved to launch a mass signature campaign through out the State from tomorrow to September 20. AGP will also stage demonstration in Delhi on September 22 and 23 against the land deal.
