Assistant director of survey Md Dabir Uddin said, "We were preparing to survey about three acres of land close to Tamabil customs station. The Indians were claiming the land for long".
"A few hundred locals yesterday protested the survey after hearing that about three acres of land attached to Tamabil land customs station will be handed over to Indians", he said.
UNO of Gowainghat Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury told this correspondent that the matter was brought to the notice of higher authorities. Joint survey will resume in 2-3 days after clearance from the higher authorities, he added.
A stalemate had been prevailing for months as Bangladesh officials could not agree with the Indians over several points on the adversely possessed lands (APL) at different borders of Sylhet-Meghalaya region.
Sources said that Indians were pressing to start survey from other points ignoring the existing border pillars, set in 1947.
The survey on the said borders had to be suspended time and again in the face of protests by either Indians or by Bangladesh nationals in the border areas.
It could not be resumed even months after the schedule, set by the officials of both sides. The officials had to suspend the job in December last year following a trouble created by the Indian khasia tribesmen and others on the much talked Padua-Protappur borders.
Again it stumbled in April as the Indians failed to bring any document in support of their claim for lands inside the Bangladesh territory.
A similar situation arose two weeks ago on the much talked Padua-Protappur borders.
In the wake of repeated incidents of intrusion for paddy crops and fishing as well as killing of Bangladesh nationals by the BSF and by the Indian khasia tribesmen, the authorities decided for joint survey on the Jaintapur, Gowainghat and Kanaighat borders.
Accordingly, it began on 7 December last year. But since then the survey work stumbled several times mainly due to difference of opinions between the officials of both sides.