Agartala: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has urged the Centre and the Tripura Government to take urgent steps to address the hardships faced by thousands of farmers and families living between the border pillars and the barbed wire fencing along the India–Bangladesh border in the state.
The organisation submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary of Tripura seeking immediate administrative intervention to restore agricultural activity and ensure basic rights for affected residents.
In a statement, AIKS said 856 km of Tripura’s international border with Bangladesh had been sanctioned for barbed wire fencing, of which 775.71 km has been completed while 80.29 km remains unfinished. Although the fencing was initially proposed 150 metres inside Indian territory from the border pillars, AIKS alleged that in several stretches, it has been constructed as far as 500 metres to 1.5 km inside Indian territory.
This has resulted in large tracts of agricultural land falling outside the fencing, cutting off access for farmers.
AIKS alleged that the Border Security Force (BSF) has imposed new restrictions that have made it nearly impossible for farmers to cultivate their land located beyond the fence. According to the organisation, over the last five to six years most of the cultivable land lying outside the fencing has remained fallow.
Farmers have reportedly been prevented from accessing rubber plantations, tea gardens and crop fields, and are not allowed to take tractors or cattle through border gates for agricultural purposes.
Citing a specific incident, AIKS said a 62-year-old farmer, Bellal Mia from Sadar Tilla border outpost area in Sonamura subdivision, died of a stroke in 2022 after being denied timely passage through the border gate to reach a hospital. The organisation said the delay occurred despite repeated appeals from locals.
AIKS estimates that nearly 25,000 acres of agricultural land belonging to 20,000 to 25,000 families from Dharmanagar in North Tripura to Sabroom in South Tripura lie outside the fencing. It said the prolonged denial of access to farmland was causing economic distress not only to farmers but affecting food production in the state.
The organisation said it had conducted visits to affected areas and interacted with farmers to assess the situation. It has placed a 10-point charter of demands before the government, urging resolution of issues through coordination between central agencies and district administrations.
The key demands include unrestricted access through border gates from 6 am to 5 pm, permanent passes for farmers and agricultural labourers issued by district magistrates, permission to transport farm equipment and livestock, increased number of border gates, irrigation facilities including solar-powered pumps, and compensation for crop damage due to border security measures such as high-voltage lighting.
AIKS has also sought free movement for residents living beyond the fence, emergency passage for students and patients, and rehabilitation for families who wish to relocate. It further demanded that Indian citizens living outside the fencing be given access to government schemes, employment under MGNREGA, housing, electricity and drinking water facilities.
The AIKS said district magistrates should be empowered to resolve local grievances of affected farmers and residents in coordination with central agencies. It urged the government to consider the issue as humanitarian and not merely a security matter.