Enclave people upbeat as two neighbours ink deal today
(TOP-BOTTOM): Residents of 12 Indian enclaves inside Panchagarh district bring out a procession in Panchagarh town yesterday demanding early solution to their problem through India-Bangladesh enclave exchange deal to be signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing's two-day visit to Bangladesh beginning today. The gate at Tin Bigha Corridor, the doorway to Dahagram-Angorpota, will now remain open round the clock, much to the relief of the residents of the Bangladesh enclave inside Indian territory. Bangladesh and India are set to sign a deal on the matter along with quite a few other bilateral issues during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing's two-day visit beginning today. Photo: STAR
Thousands of people living in enclaves inside Bangladesh and India are eyeing a new life as the two countries are set to sign a bilateral deal to exchange the adversely possessed lands during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing's two-day visit to Bangladesh starting today. The enclave people expressed hope that the bilateral deal to be signed in line with the India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement of 1974, popularly known as Indira-Mujib Pact, will enable them to get all the rights and facilities as lawful citizens, reports our Thakurgaon correspondent. During this correspondent's visit to Garati enclave adjacent to Hafizabad and Haribhasha union parishads under Panchagarh Sadar upazila on Sunday, the residents described their miserable life in absence of basic rights for decades. "The enclave people live in awful conditions amid lack of adequate employment opportunity, infrastructure, educational institutions, electricity and medical facilities. Most of the people are living below poverty level," said Abdul Latif Sarkar, chairman of Garati Enclave Sarbamongal Committee. Freedom fighter Md Ayub Ali, Ansar Ali and others said they are hopeful of living a healthy life with basic amenities as citizens after exchange of the enclaves between two countries. According to a recently conducted joint survey of the two countries, Bangladesh has 51 enclaves comprising around 3,000 acres of adversely possessed land inside India while India has 111 enclaves comprising 3,500 acres of such land inside Bangladesh. Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh are situated in Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari four districts while all of the Bangladeshi enclaves are in Indian Cooch Behar district. Around a thousand people living in Indian enclaves inside Panchagarh district brought out a procession in Panchagarh town and placed a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the deputy commissioner of Panchagarh yesterday demanding immediate solution of the enclave issue. Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports: Enclave people are in all smiles with the prospect of ending their misery as India and Bangladesh are going to sign a deal to exchange the adversely possessed lands during the Indian prime minister's visit. “With signing of the bilateral deal to exchange the enclaves, we will get all the facilities as Bangladeshi citizens,” said Johir Ali, a resident of Sreerampur enclave in Burimari union under Patgram upazila. "Becoming free from a restricted life so far remained a dream for me. Now I hope to see its materialisation,” Amzad Hossain, 70, a resident at enclave Bhitorkuti of Kulaghat union in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, said. Our Kurigram correspondent adds: Indian enclave people in Bangladesh territory yesterday held a rally and placed a memorandum to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Kurigram demanding implementation of the Indira-Mujib Pact of 1974 during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Sing's two-day visit to Bangladesh. The people from 11 Indian enclaves in Kurigram district came to the ground of Majida Adarsha Degree College in Kurigram town at 11:30am. Around one hundred people in a procession paraded to the DC office premises, held a rally there and submitted a memorandum to the DC. They demanded early exchange of the enclaves and ensuring citizens' rights for all the residents there. The people of Bangladeshi enclaves inside India also observed similar programmes there on the same issue, said Phulbari Sadar union parishad Chairman Md Moynul Haque.
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