Announcing major relief for farmers in Indian Punjab near the international border with Pakistan, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said that the Centre has agreed “in principle” to shift the security fence closer to the border.
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While the CM minister said Shah informed him during the meeting that the issue is “under active consideration” — and that the fencing will be shifted towards the border bringing Punjab’s land back on the accessible side without compromising national security — there was no official communication on this from the Union home ministry as yet.
What ‘shifting’ fence means
The shifting of the fence, if it happens, will be a great relief for Punjab farmers along the India-Pakistan border as vast tracts of land remain beyond the security fence.
This fence is not the actual border but a barricading installed in the 1990s to prevent cross-border infiltration. It is located deep inside Punjab’s territory. As per international norms, construction should be beyond 150 metres of the actual border, or zero line. But in several areas of Punjab, the fence is located 2-3 km inside.
The international border stretches across 523 km in Punjab and over 90% of it, excluding riverine stretches along the Ravi and the Sutlej, and some marshy areas, is under fencing.
Consequently, thousands of acres of agricultural land lie beyond the fence, leading to farmers facing hassles in reaching their fields. “If the fence is realigned closer to the IB, large tracts of land will come to this side of the fence, allowing Punjab farmers to cultivate without fear and daily restrictions,” said the CM.
According to Punjab CM, the shifting of the fence along the International Border would be a relief for farmers who for years been forced to cross the fence with identity cards and under Border Security Force (BSF) escort to reach their own fields, facing daily hardship and uncertainty along the 532-km India-Pakistan border where fencing lies deep inside Punjab’s territory, news agency PTI reported.
Who will benefit?
With this, thousands of acres of land will come inside the fence, ending the difficulties faced by farmers in accessing their own fields due to the proximity with the Pakistan border, which has been volatile lately as was seen during Operation Sindoor last year in May.
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AAP leader Kuldeep Dhaliwal also said the move will be a reprieve for farmers who were allowed to cultivate their land only from 9 am to 4 pm, Punjab Newsline reported. Farmers, women, and farm labourers had to undergo strict security checks on a daily basis, causing mental and physical distress, the former minister was quoted as saying. He further said that farmers also had to incur losses due to the lack of tubewell connections on the other side of the fence causing irrigation problems.
(With inputs from agencies)
www.hindustantimes.com
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