26 more people opt for Indian nationality

Twenty-six inhabitants of 23 Indian enclaves in Boda upazila of Panchagarh district expressed their desire to become Indian nationals on the second day of a 10-day joint survey by India and Bangladesh on Tuesday.

Earlier 40 inhabitants of the Indian enclaves inside Panchagarh wanted to become Indian nationals during the first day of the survey on Monday, said Shahin Reza, executive magistrate and in-charge of the control room set up for the survey work.

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So far, 305 people including children have got their names registered during the two days, he said.

Eighteen camps were set up for running the survey-related activities in a total of 36 enclaves inside the district.

According to the 2011 census, the enclaves in Panchagarh cover around 11,900 acres of land with a population of 19,043.

There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, including 59 in Lalmonirhat, 36 in Panchagarh, 12 in Kurigram and four in Nilphamari districts, and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in Cooch Behar district of Pashchimbanga in India. The Indian enclaves in Bangladesh comprise 17,149 acres of land while Bangladeshi enclaves in India cover 7,110 acres.

A joint census conducted in July 2011 found 37,334 people living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 14,215 people in Bangladeshi enclaves in India.