Relief for farmers as fence to move closer to IB: Mann after Shah meet
International Border stretches across 523 km in Punjab and over 90 per cent of it is fenced
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday claimed a major relief for farmers in the state’s border belt, saying the Centre had agreed in principle to shift the security fence closer to the International Border (IB).
Mann made the announcement after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, stating that Shah had informed him the issue was under active consideration. The move would clear the way for unhindered cultivation of thousands of acres of farmland currently trapped beyond the fence towards the IB, Mann told mediapersons after the meeting.
The IB stretches across 523 km in Punjab and over 90 per cent of it—excluding riverine stretches along the Ravi and the Sutlej, and some marshy patches—is fenced.
Mann said farmers had long been forced to cross the fence with identity cards and under the BSF escort to access their own fields, and that too with restricted timing daily. Along the India-Pakistan border, the fence is located deep inside Punjab’s territory. As per international norms, construction should be beyond 150 metres of the zero line. But in several areas of Punjab, the fence is located 2-3 km inside.
Consequently, thousands of acres of agricultural land lie beyond the fence, leading to farmers facing hassles in reaching their fields. “If the fence is realigned closer to the IB, large tracts of land will come to this side of the fence, allowing Punjab farmers to cultivate without fear and daily restrictions,” said the CM. Alongside the border issue, CM Mann also raised a series of long-pending concerns, including Punjab’s objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, unresolved Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) dispute, slow movement of foodgrain by the FCI, freezing of arhtiya commission, non-payment of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Mandi Fund, and the dilution of Punjab’s role in Chandigarh’s administration. He sought a prompt and time-bound resolution of these matters.
Raising objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, Mann said, “Punjab is one of the largest grain-producing states of the country, yet the draft Seeds Bill does not assure representation of the state as per schedule under the relevant section. The zone-based system introduced in the Bill does not guarantee Punjab’s representation in Central Seed Committee, unlike the existing system, thereby limiting the state’s voice in decisions that directly affect the seed sector.”
Highlighting the problem of food grain movement and storage, the CM said, “For the last five months, the FCI has been moving only about 4 to 5 LMT of wheat and 5 to 6 LMT of rice from Punjab. Against 95 LMT of pending rice of kharif marketing season 2025-26 to be delivered, only 20 LMT of storage space is currently available.”
Reiterating Punjab’s long-standing position on river waters, the Chief Minister said, “Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state. There has been a substantial reduction in the availability of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas waters, and therefore construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal is not viable.”
The Chief Minister also took up the issue of appointing a Punjab-cadre officer as General Manager, FCI, Punjab, saying that Punjab-cadre officers possessed critical familiarity with procurement, mandis, storage and movement of foodgrain.
