Votes beyond India, B’desh border fencing

GUWAHATI: A larger section of over 7,000 Indian voters who live outside the barbed wire fencing along the India-Bangladesh Border on Thursday exercised their franchise in special polling stations set up for them inside the border fencing in Silchar and Karimganj Parliamentary constituencies in South Assam.

An official source in Silchar informed that the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel manning the India-Bangladesh border facilitated their entry to Indian territory in time for casting their votes.

These tiny hamlets on Indian citizens remained outside the border fencing because of the rule as agreed upon by the two countries that the fencing can't be constructed within 150 meters of the Zero Line between the two countries.

There are 3035 such voters under Silchar constituency while another over 4000 are in Karimganj constituency who live outside the border fencing. Four special polling stations in Natanpur Lower Primary School under Katigora legislative Assembly segment under Silchar Parliamentary constituency were set up for these voters. Similar, polling stations have been set up under Karimganj constituency also of voters living in at least ten hamlets outside the border fencing.

Indian citizens living outside the border fencing in a cluster of villages in Mahadevpur area under Silchar parliamentary constituency and many other such citizens under Karimganj Parliamentary constituency usually allowed to come inside the fencing through border gates manned by BSF personnel between 7 am to 5 pm every day, but they have to return to their villages before the gate is closed for the day.THE SHILLONG TIMES