Day after BSF approval, farmers start tilling their land across fence

A day after the BSF’s approval, farmers on Tuesday commenced tilling their land across the fence along the International Border. The decision came in the wake of the end of the India-Pakistan conflict. Farmers heaved a sigh of relief as the paddy-sowing season is round the corner.

Days ahead of the start of the paddy sowing season, the Border Security Force (BSF) allowed farmers, who have tracts of agricultural land across the fencing along the International Border, to cultivate their land. They will be permitted to visit their farms from today.

About 32,000 acres of land fall across the border fence spreading across 222 villages in Punjab. Out of these, around 20,000 acres are owned by farmers and the rest belong to the Forest Department and the Central Government. The government offers the land free of cost to farmers to till it so as not to allow long vegetation to grow over it and turn it into a place fit for launching subversive activity against India.

Welcoming the move of the BSF, Border Area Sangharsh Committee president Rattan Singh Randhawa said the farmers would be able to sow paddy for which the state government has fixed the timings from June 3 onwards. Delegations of the committee had been meeting the authorities so that the gates of the fences across the border could be opened and paddy sowing started on time, he said.

Jaskaran Singh, a farmer of Rodawala village, said the government has not released the inconvenience allowance to border farmers since 2023. Both the Centre and the state government jointly release Rs 10,000 per acre annually to the farmers who own land across the fencing.

Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited border villages in Ajnala subdivision and thanked the BSF officers and jawans, who strictly guarded the border during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

After reaching the border post Shahpur on Monday, Dhaliwal presented sweets and fruit baskets to border guards and thanked the security forces on behalf of the Punjab Government.