The row over the proposed 31-km Ditch-cum-Bund (DCB) project along the Indo-Pak border in Fazilka district has reached Punjab Lok Bhavan, with governor Gulab Chand Kataria assuring protesting farmers that he will take up their concerns with Union home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh.
A delegation of the Bann Roko Chardi Kala Sangharsh Morcha, led by Fazilka-based social activist Karan Gilhotra, met the governor at Lok Bhavan in Chandigarh on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum highlighting concerns over the Border Roads Organisation’s (BRO) proposed defence embankment.
“We have been protesting for the past 18 days as the proposed project could adversely affect fertile agricultural land across 18 border villages and disrupt the region’s natural drainage system, increasing the risk of flooding during the monsoon,” alleged farmer leader Parmjit Singh Noor Shah.
Another protester, Harish Nadda, claimed that the proposed alignment could leave several border villages on the Pakistan-facing side of the embankment flooded, raising concerns over residents’ security, accessibility and emergency response.
The protesters further alleged that the embankment could obstruct the natural flow of rainwater in the low-lying border belt, leading to waterlogging and inundation of farmland and villages during heavy rainfall. They also accused the authorities of initiating the survey and land acquisition process without adequate consultation with affected residents, and demanded that the project alignment be reviewed in consultation with local communities.
The delegation urged the governor to visit the affected villages to assess the ground situation before the project proceeded, and sought a review of the existing design to minimise its impact on farmers and border residents.
{{/usCountry}}The delegation urged the governor to visit the affected villages to assess the ground situation before the project proceeded, and sought a review of the existing design to minimise its impact on farmers and border residents.
{{/usCountry}}After hearing the delegation, Kataria assured them that he had taken serious note of their concerns and would soon discuss the matter with Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh to explore a practical solution that balanced national security requirements with the interests of border residents.
Gilhotra said protecting the livelihood of farmers living along the international border should remain a priority. “We are hopeful that the governor’s intervention will ensure that the concerns of the affected villagers are addressed before any final decision is taken,” he said.
The proposed DCB project envisages land acquisition across 18 villages in the Fazilka and Jalalabad subdivisions. According to official information, a joint survey by the revenue department and the BRO has covered nearly 8 km, but further work has been suspended following protests by farmers and local residents.
Protesters have also raised concerns over compensation, claiming that many families have cultivated government-owned land for generations but fear they may not be eligible for compensation or rehabilitation if displaced.