Dhaka: A total of 997 people living in Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh’s territory will move to India as the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), struck recently between the two neighbours, is implemented.
However, no one from Bangladeshi enclaves inside India’s territory would go back to Bangladesh, reported The Daily Star.
The numbers were revealed by Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of border town of Lalmonirhat in Bangladesh, after a meeting between delegates representing the two nations at Changrabandha frontier of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal.
The meeting came after a joint survey was conducted from July 6 to July 16 to ascertain the enclave dwellers’ choice of nationality. It focussed on tabulating the findings of the survey and finalising the nationality of enclave people.
Meanwhile, the two countries have imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of land in the enclaves till July 31 midnight, when the formal handover process would begin.
A total of 37,369 people live in the 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh while 14,215 people live in the 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside Indian territory. (ANI)