Enclave dwellers write to Modi for LBA ratification

Apprehensive that the logjam in parliament over the land bill may delay its ratification, a group of Bangladeshi and Indian enclave dwellers have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expediting the passage of the constitution's 119th amendment ratifying the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).

The Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee (BBEECC) - representing dwellers from both India and Bangladesh enclaves in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district - have also informed Modi about donating 100 acres of land for rehabilitation of the dwellers once the LBA, entailing swapping of adversely occupied border enclaves, is ratified.

"After carrying extensive surveys in both Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves, we would like to state that none of the Bangladeshi enclaves (located in India) have demanded any rehabilitation. They only want Indian citizenship after the ratification of the LBA," Diptiman Sengupta of BBEECC said in the letter.

"We have already submitted 15.7 acre of land with donor's declaration papers to the Cooch Behar district magistrate and identified around 100 acres additional land that will be donated for rehabilitation, without any claim for compensation" said Sengupta.

"We are expecting that the government will place the bill for constitutional amendment in parliament by this session for the cause of national security, bilateral relationship and oblige the stateless people of enclaves," he said.

First signed in 1974, to find a solution to the complex nature of border demarcation, the LBA once passed will see India exchanging 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres to Bangladesh and receiving 51 enclaves covering 7,110 acres. More than 51,000 people reside in these enclaves.

Rajnath Singh, who became the first union home minister to visit an enclave last month, has batted for the LBA ratification on humanitarian grounds.

"On humanitarian ground also, the Land Boundary Agreement should certainly be ratified. The enclave dwellers should get the facilities which they are deprived of," Singh had said hoping for a consensus in parliament.