The survey officials yesterday held a brief meeting with their Indian counterpart on Sonarhat-Lakhat border near border pillar No 1266 on Sylhet-Meghalaya frontier in a bid to start joint survey on some of the disputed places. They checked maps and other documents and decided to start field survey this morning.
As per earlier schedule, the survey was to start yesterday but it could not begin due to lack of coordination among different departments.
Land records officials of Bangladesh and India in last week set the programme at a joint meeting on Tamabil International Check Post.
"The survey will start tomorrow [Wednesday] as the survey men sat with their Indian counterparts today [Tuesday]," Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abu Syed Muhammad Hashim said.
Union Parishad Chairman Fokhrul Islam, who accompanied the survey staff to the border point, yesterday said, "The survey staff of both sides held discussion on Sinarhat border at about 11:00am today. We would start the job tomorrow."
Meanwhile, sources said officials concerned of Bangladesh Rifles were not properly informed about the decision to start the survey yesterday and it caused deferment of the act for one day.
The decision to conduct survey on the Sylhet-Meghalaya border came against the backdrop of long-standing disputes on the much talked border areas like Sonarhat, Dibir haor, Sripur, Tamabil, Bichhnakandi, Protappur and Lalakhal in Sylhet.
"The joint survey would be done initially on 13 points on the border from Lobhachhara in Kanaighat upazila to Lalakhal and Dibir Haor in Jaintapur and Sonarhat in Kanaighat upazila. It will be held in presence of land officials and BDR," the deputy commissioner said.
The border guards of the two countries exchanged fire time and again on those bordering areas as the Indian Border Security Force and the tribesmen attempted to forcibly occupy water bodies and farmlands inside Bangladesh territory during the recent months. Over a hundred people of the neighbouring habitats sustained injuries while many had to leave their homesteads for days and weeks. Even the BSF picked up some BDR men to the Indian territory and they were returned after long hours.
The BDR chief Major General Md Rafiqul Islam and the former chief and the BSF Inspector General visited the borders to calm the situation and agreed for joint survey. The matter was discussed in the regional border conferences and in the Joint Border Working Group meetings in Delhi and Dhaka.
Deputy Director of Land Records Nilmoni Sinha led the Bangladesh side while Meghalaya Land Survey Commission Joint Director TS Sangma and Deputy Director Marwin took part in the preparatory meeting held last week.
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