SHILLONG: The Meghalaya State Government will carefully examine the demands of the residents of Lyngkhong village, located along the international border with Bangladesh, and will raise the matter with the Government of India if necessary.
Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar informed media persons that the issue falls under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of East Khasi Hills, who is currently working to resolve the matter through ongoing discussions with landowners and all concerned authorities.
Highlighting that the issue affects the international border, Dhar explained that the local residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed alignment of the border fencing, which is planned to be constructed further inside Indian territory.
The villagers are seeking absolute clarity on the exact alignment of the boundary line from the border. Currently, all detailed reports are with the Deputy Commissioner, who is actively working to resolve the issue in collaboration with the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), the executing agency for the border fencing project.
It may be mentioned that the residents of Lyngkhong village, situated within the East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, staged a public protest on June 7, demanding that the border fencing be constructed strictly from the zero line rather than further inside the Indian territory.
The residents also submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Pynursla Civil Sub-Division, urgently requesting the concerned authorities to immediately halt the ongoing fencing work until all underlying grievances and disputes are thoroughly resolved.
Lyngkhong is one of the few border villages where residential houses are situated just a few meters away from the inhabited areas of Bangladesh. However, according to international norms already in place, border fencing is traditionally constructed not less than 150 yards away from the zero line.
This ongoing arrangement has caused severe anxiety among the villagers, who fear that the current alignment will leave their entire village outside the fenced perimeter, effectively isolating their village from the rest of India.
