Jt border survey resumes amid tight security

The Indo-Bangla joint survey of the adversely possessed lands (APL) along Meghalaya-Sylhet frontier resumed yesterday amid tight security at Sonarhat border point in Gowainghat upazila.

After the Indian team reached the border, the Bangladesh team led by survey officer Ferdous Hossain went to Sonarhat-Lynkhat borders at 11:30 in the morning to resume the work, officials said.

The survey that started on 7 December last year, stumbled several times till 20 June this year due to protests on borders. The border people launched protests apprehending that their lands would be handed over to the Indians.

Yesterday, no civilian was allowed to visit the survey area. A number of locals alleged that police and BGB contingents barred them from going to the border.

On return from the borders, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sylhet, Ahmed Shamim Al Razi told this correspondent yesterday afternoon that the survey work continued till 4:30 pm in a secured arrangement.

"We had to take the measures for doing the survey work safely," he said.

Contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Khan Mohammad Belal said most of the areas in Sylhet region had already been surveyed. Only a few points remain for survey now, he said adding that the officials hope to complete the work by the end of this month.

"We could resume survey yesterday as the locals are now convinced after a series of view exchange meetings," said an official.

The joint survey of the APL on the said borders remained suspended since 20 June in the face of protest by border people at different points. Earlier the work was also suspended in January and in April.

In the view exchange meetings in the last few days, the officials assured locals that no such decision was taken to hand over the lands to the Indians.

However, survey of border lands was necessary as the issues remained unsettled for decades. Both India and Bangladesh want a peaceful solution to the problems, they told the border people.

Local leading people expressed their agony and fear as the Indians including tribesmen as well as the BSF had been causing trouble for the Bangladesh border people for long.

The intruders took away crops, looted forests and fishes from the water bodies regularly, they alleged.

The joint survey must be done in a transparent way, they said.

The frontier people had been opposing the survey work fearing that their lands would be handed over to the Indians in the name of joint survey.

Locals under the banner of 'conscious citizens of border' staged human chains and protest rallies in different bordering upazilas till 30 June. The upazilas are Gowainghat, Jaintapur, Kanaighat, Companiganj and Jakiganj.

The survey work was due to be completed by 15 January. But the time was extended several times with the last one till 30 June.