Joint-survey began in enclaves

Kurigram and Lalmonirhat Correspondent: Bangladesh-India joint survey on enclaves` residents to settle their citizenships has been started on Monday.

Kurigram Deputy Commissioner (DC), Khan Md. Nurul Amin, has launched the survey programme at Dasiarchhara enclave around 9.30 am on the day.

 Separate high officials of the district administration were also present, among others, at that time.

Survey programme, on the other hand, was also launched at Daspotai enclave under Lalmonirhat around 10.30 am in the same day.

The survey programme will be ended on July 16 while the report on it will be unveiled on July 20.

The two neighboring countries- Bangladesh and India- may start exchanging of historic enclaves from the midnight of July 31, 2015.

The exchanging ceremony will take place in line with the LBA documents exchanged between the two countries on June 6 during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Dhaka visit.

According to the letter, the representatives of the two governments will conduct a joint visit to the enclaves before July 31.

Earlier, the residents of Kurigram and Nilphamari enclaves on Saturday offered sweets each other as the Bangladesh and India have exchanged instruments for ratification of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between the two countries.

The residents of the area have also flown Bangladesh`s flag while they observed their satisfactions over the LBA with the neighboring country.

The residents of 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh now want to become Bangladeshi citizenship.

According to sources, with an initiative of Indian government in 2011, a total of 143 families of 111 enclaves filled up forms to become Indian citizens. But they are now interested to become Indian citizens rather that they are participating in demonstrations to become Bangladeshi citizens.

Residents of the officially recognized 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 55 Bangladeshi enclaves in India - have been living as ‘stateless citizens’ since 1947 without even basic human rights and out of the ambit of all state-funded development and welfare schemes.

There are 111 Indian enclaves with 17,158 acres area inside four northern Bangladeshi districts of Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Panchagarh districts.

On the other-hand, there are 51 Bangladesh enclaves with 7,110 acres area inside Koochbehar district in West Bengal of India.

The Indian Lok Sabha has finally passed constitution amendment bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh to settle the long boundary disputes with the country on May 7.

risingbd/ Kurigram/ Lalmonirhat/ July 6, 2015/ Shaikat/ Moajjem/ Mahfuz