Joint border survey to resume soon: View exchange meets being held to allay fear of border people

The joint survey along the adversely possessed lands (APL) on Sylhet-Meghalaya borders, suspended due to protest by locals, will resume in a couple of days, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Sylhet Ahmed Shamim Al Razi yesterday afternoon.

The date and time would be set by the survey officials after contacting the Indian survey team, he said after holding view exchange meetings with the locals at Laghat Bazaar, close to the Sonarhat border camp of BGB and at Kulum Chhara borders in Gowainghat upazila.

Ruling party lawmaker Imran Ahmed, ADC General Md. Mizanur Rahman and others also joined the view exchange meetings with the locals yesterday.

The officials allaying the fear of the locals told them that no such decision was taken to hand over their lands to the Indians.

But we need to survey border lands since things remained unsettled for decades. Both India and Bangladesh want a peaceful solution of the longstanding border problems, they told the border people.

However, the locals raised a valley of questions as the Indians including Khasia tribesmen as well as the BSF had been causing trouble for Bangladeshis in different frontier areas for long.

In a bid to appease the people of border villages more view exchange meetings would be held at Tamabil and at the much-talked Padua-Protappur borders today, the officials said.

The border people are opposing the survey in fear that their lands would be handed over to the Indians in the name of joint survey, sources said.

The joint survey on the APL on the said borders remained suspended since 20 June in the face of protest by border people at several places.

Locals under the banner of 'Conscious Citizens of Border' formed human chain and held protest rallies at different bordering upazila headquarters till 30 June. The upazilas are Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Kanaighat, Companiganj and Jakiganj.

The border people said that the joint survey must be done in a 'transparent way'.

Started on 7 December last year, the survey work was due to be completed by 15 January. The time was extended several times with the last till 30 June.

Source : The Daily Star