Border fencing to be shifted closer to International Border

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said the Centre has decided to shift the border fencing closer to the International Border (IB), emphasising that the move will bring major relief to farmers long forced to cultivate under tight BSF restrictions.

With surveys now ordered across border districts, the move will bring lakhs of acres back within the fenced area, allowing farmers greater access, crop choice, and freedom from limited farming hours and repeated security checks, the chief minister said.

“We had raised this issue many times with the Union home minister for the sake of our farmers living along the border. The fencing along the international border with Pakistan is 3-4 km inside on the Indian territory. As a result, their fields are left beyond the fence,” Mann said in a statement issued here.