India, Bangladesh officials discuss border problems

The officials of India and Bangladesh along with the police discussed border related issues such as human trafficking, illegal arms smuggling, immigration and border management.

Indian delegation was led by Barun Roy while Mohammed Jahangeer Kobir led the Bangladeshi delegation.

Both the sides would prepare a report which would be submitted to their respective governments that would develop cordial relation between the two countries.

"We discussed border issues such as smuggling, human trafficking, illegal arms smuggling and immigration in the border districts. We underlined issues related to the border management," said Kobir.

A parliamentary committee urged the Indian government to table a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for a land swap deal that Bangladesh and India have been negotiating for years.

Dozens of enclaves exist on either side of the border, a historical oddity left after British India's partition in 1947.

The proposed solution would enable each side to acquire the enclaves within its borders, along with other disputed territories. On paper, the exchange appears to leave India with about 10,000 acres less territory and affects more than 50,000 people living in the enclaves, as of a July 2011 headcount.

The deal could help curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh by fencing the porous border, a hot political issue in border areas.