Hundreds of farmers in South Dinajpur district have been denied access to their land sandwiched between barbed wire fences and the zero point along the Bangladesh frontier following closure of border gates for strict enforcement of the lockdown. South Dinajpur shares border with Bangladesh for 187km.

The district administration completely sealed the border on Saturday evening and since then, BSF personnel haven’t been allowing farmers to enter their fields.

Sources have said 500-odd farmers own around 300 acres between the fences and the zero point at Hilli, one of the principal transit points between India and Bangladesh.

“We have cultivated paddy which will be harvested in 45 days. Now, we need to nurture the saplings but since Saturday, we have been denied entry because of closure of border gates,” said a farmer.

South Dinajpur district magistrate Nikhil Nirmal said there was a meeting with the BSF and district police officers and it was decided that all gates on the border would be closed.

“The gates will remain closed during the lockdown. Simultaneously, we have asked BSF personnel to see that residents do not face any problems on the border,” said Nirmal.

Told about the farmers’ grouse, a BSF officer said if required, they would be provided with relief materials.

The sources said the border gates had been shut and access to the farmlands stopped to beef up vigil to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“Barbed wire fences and the zero point (border) are separated by 500m and the farmlands are located in between. There are high chances of our farmers contracting Covid-19, if they happen to interact with those beyond the border. To obviate the disease, we have completely stopped people’s movement beyond the fence,” said an administrative official.

Farmers face similar problem in the Tufanganj subdivision of Cooch Behar district. Residents of the Balabhut

island on the Gadadhar river can’t ferry corn from their fields which are close to the zero pint.

“Around 50 families live in Balabhut that is located beyond fences. The border is riverine and so, there are no fences. These days, farmers are not allowed by the BSF to cross the river and ferry corn from around 400 bighas. The crop has been harvested and is lying under open sky,” Dhiren Roy, a local panchayat member, said.

North Bengal development minister Rabindranath Ghosh said he had asked Cooch Behar district magistrate to see that the corn farmers brought their produce to the nearby market for sale.