Meghalaya border fence 90% done amid new MHA demographic panel

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma reported that 90% of the India-Bangladesh border fence is complete, with 40-45 km pending due to local issues. This comes as the Union Home Ministry forms a high-level committee to study demographic changes nationwide.

Meghalaya Border Fencing 90% Complete

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday reaffirmed his government's commitment to securing the state's international frontier, reporting that 90% of the India-Bangladesh border fencing within Meghalaya is complete. The update comes as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announces a major national initiative to investigate the complexities of demographic changes across the country.

Addressing reporters, Chief Minister Sangma highlighted that out of the total 440-km stretch of the international border, approximately 400 km has already been fenced. He asserted that Meghalaya is currently outpacing other states in border demarcation efforts.

While the project is nearing completion, the final 40-45 km remains pending due to sensitive local challenges. CM Sangma explained that in specific areas, the planned fence alignment creates practical difficulties for residents. "Fencing of around 400 km border has been completed out of 440 km; only 40-45 km is remaining. Ninety per cent of the work is done. The remaining 10% is pending due to local issues," said CM Sangma.

The proposed alignment occasionally deviates from the actual international border, inadvertently cutting through Indian territory and impacting local landholdings. In some stretches, the fence is slated to run directly through villages, posing a risk of bisecting residential settlements. "We are talking to the locals and trying to resolve genuine concerns because, in some locations, the fence alignment runs through villages. In comparison to other states, Meghalaya is ahead," said CM Sangma, expressing confidence that through active dialogue, the state will eventually achieve 100% completion of the fencing project.

MHA Forms Committee on Demographic Changes

The Chief Minister's update coincides with a significant move by the Union Government to address broader national security and social cohesion concerns. Late Tuesday, the MHA's Foreigners-I Division issued a resolution to constitute a High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC).

MHA's Foreigners-I Division issued the resolution late on Tuesday, hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the formation of the committee on his official X handle. As per the resolution, "extensive challenges have emerged due to demographic changes, including those linked to illegal immigration." These changes, it says, observed in certain regions, are not attributable to normal fertility or mortality trends but are instead caused by external abnormal factors such as illegal immigration, irregular population mobility, and administrative laxity.

The resolution notes that although such changes are most visible in border districts, their impact has extended to urban centres, industrial corridors, tribal regions, and other socially and economically sensitive areas. "These shifts have significantly affected public service delivery, local governance, resource distribution, and social cohesion," reads the resolution.

"The Government of India has therefore decided to constitute the HLCDC under the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a scientific study of the nature, causes, and consequences of demographic changes across the country and to recommend appropriate policy, administrative, and legal measures," the resolution further mentioned.

The committee will be chaired by retired Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, with the Joint Secretary (Foreigners-I), MHA serving as Member Secretary. Other members include the Census Commissioner, retired Indian Administrative Service officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired Indian Police Service officer Balaji Srivastava, and economist Shamika Ravi.

As per its terms of reference, the committee will examine challenges arising from demographic changes, including those due to illegal immigration, and study possible causes such as variations in fertility, cross-border movement, economic opportunities, and socio-environmental factors. It will identify underlying factors, including abnormal settlement patterns and planned migration, and analyse structural population changes at the level of religious or social communities, especially those diverging from uniform trends.

The MHA will provide all necessary administrative and logistical support to the committee. Its headquarters will be located in New Delhi, and it is required to submit its final report within one year. (ANI)

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