Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
The Co-ordination Committee on International Borders (CCIB) were in for a surprise when one of their core committee members decided to walk away from them and allegedly accepted the government’s compensation on border fencing.
Addressing a press conference on December 20, chairman of CCIB Sukkynjai Myrchiang said that the group is not against border fencing but maintained that the fencing should come up on zero line and not 150 yards away.
He narrated that it was on December 3, 2022 when it was found that one of the core committee members of CCIB Wansalan Dhar had taken compensation for border fencing.
Expressing surprise at the sudden move of Dhar, Myrchiang said, “We have nothing against him but he stopped talking to us. He was a vocal member against the border fencing. He was the one who expressed the desire to move the High Court. At a time when we approached the High Court of Meghalaya to sign the petition in December 2021, he suddenly disappeared.”
He claimed that the compensation was taken surreptitiously and said that Dhar and his family took the compensation while the other members of the CCIB reiterated the re-demarcation of boundary between India and Bangladesh.
He further said that the border fencing was stopped by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and Hynniewtrep National Youth Federation (HNYF) members at Rhongkong, under Amlarem Sub-division.
“It is important to fence but there has to be proper demarcation of the boundary pillars. The boundary pillars erected are only temporary. We are against losing out on our lands to Bangladesh,” he said.
He supported the members of the KSU and the HNYF who stopped the border fencing as it was not the will of the majority of the people to go for border fencing.
Myrchiang said that the actual fencing is not there yet but the foundations have been dug.
It is not known how much compensation was paid to Dhar.