Bangladesh, India to engage in historic land swap after 70 years

The agreement will be gradually be implemented in totality.

At one minute past midnight on Friday, some 50,000 residents along the border will light candles and celebrate their “new found freedom” following a historic deal sealed between the two countries’ prime ministers.

Bangladesh and India will finally swap tiny islands of land this week, putting an end to one of the world’s most hard border disputes that has kept thousands of people in a stateless limbo for nearly 70 years.

He also said that the other two elements of the act – exchange of the adversely possessed land and identifying the unmarked 6.5 kilometres of the border between the two countries – are also underway.

The residents of the enclaves, including children, women and elderly persons are in a festive mood as they are going to get their new identity as citizens of Bangladesh.

None living in Bangladeshi enclaves in India wants to shift to that country, as per a joint survey.

India would hand over to Bangladesh 51 enclaves which have an area of 7,110 acres, whereas Bangladesh would hand over111 enclaves having an area of 17, 160 acres.

Bangladeshi national flag will be hoisted at newly included lands of 111 enclaves at dawn tomorrow.

The issue of implementation of the 1974 accord had been hanging fire as India had notbeen able to ratify the agreement.

However, all functions remain suspended in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India because of state mourning in that country over the death of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

The Centre has already announced a package of Rs 3,048 for rehabilitation of peopleaffected by the exchange of enclaves.

Between July 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, the entire process, including physical exchange of enclaves and land parcels in adverse possession along with boundary demarcation, is expected to be completed.

The passage “will be arranged by the respective governments by November 30, 2015”. The dwellers, who are hoping to move from one enclave to another country as proper citizen for the first time since Independence, will have to provide “details of the records and specifications of immovable property” to the local district administration.

The LBA was originally signed between the two countries in 1974, but political complexities barred the way of its implementation till the Indian parliament ratified it this year. “Only a few concrete pillars mark which part is Bangladesh and which is India”, Alam said.