Joint border survey may resume Jan 4
After suspension for days due to holidays and other reasons, the India-Bangladesh joint survey on Sylhet-Meghalaya borders is now expected to resume in the first week of January.
Under the circumstances, the joint survey that was earlier scheduled to be complete by December 31, may extend till mid-January, said officials.
“The Indian survey team had requested for keeping it suspended for days on account of Christmas and for other reasons. Meantime, we also talked with the higher authority about some matters. If the Indians come up we may resume the field survey on January 4,” Sylhet Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rev) Dr Abul Hasan, who is heading the Bangladesh survey team, said yesterday evening.
Both sides discussed different documents after December 15 flag meeting between Bangladesh Rifles (recently renamed Border Guards Bangladesh-BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF), he said.
The flag meeting followed the unwanted situation on December 14 evening when Bangladesh nationals chased about 500 Indian Khasia tribesmen and BSF, who had intruded into the Bangladesh territory through the remote Padua-Protappur borders in Gowainghat upazila.
“The Indians had been pressing for suspending the ongoing survey on the borders, where they had been using about a hundred acres of Bangladesh lands for years. Earlier we were asked to complete the survey work by December 31. It may now continue till January 15,” the official said.
Indian Khasia tribesmen had also been opposing the survey on Dibir Haor border in Jaintapur upaizla, claiming about 55 acres of Bangladesh lands as belonging to them. Besides, about 80 acres of Bangladesh lands on Sonarhat-Lynkhat border had been under the possession of Indians.
Asked about the Indian claims, Dr Hasan said, “We insisted on our claims on the basis of our documents and boundary pillars and accordingly, we asked for documents in support of their claims.”
“Misunderstandings between the border guards of both sides are being discussed and we hope to get it resolved very soon. The survey is expected to resume in a week,” said Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abu Syed Mohammad Hashim.
The ongoing joint survey of the disputed area of the India-Bangladesh border in Sylhet-Meghalaya region was repeatedly disrupted by Indian nationals, allegedly supported by the BSF, on about 20 kilometre border from Sonarhat to Dibir Haor in Gowainghat, Kanaighat and in Jaintapur upazilas.
The joint survey began on December 7.
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