Meghalaya Seeks Compensation for Landowners Near Bangladesh Border

Meghalaya's Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has urged the Centre to address concerns of landowners along the India-Bangladesh border. The issue arises from the ongoing border fencing project, which stretches from Garo Hills to East Jaintia Hills. Landowners are not opposed to the fencing but worry about losing access to their agricultural land once the barrier is completed. With a 443-kilometre border with Bangladesh, the state government has proposed that the Centre compensate landowners for land that falls beyond the fence. Tynsong emphasized that if this land becomes no man's land, it would render it unusable for cultivation, leading to abandonment. The state is seeking a solution to ensure that productive farmland remains accessible and is not left as wasteland.