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Enclave people's joy knows no bounds

Mamata gesture rekindles hope

Star Country Desk
Thousands of people residing in 162 adversely located enclave areas of India and Bangladesh were jubilant on hearing on Thursday the prospect of early implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between the two countries as exchange of the enclaves would enable the inhabitants to taste 'real freedom' with basic citizens' rights.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports: The hope for LBA implementation brightened up as Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her approval for the deal while addressing a meeting at Dinhata of Cooch Behar district in Pashchimbanga on Thursday, said Golam Mostafa, general secretary of the Bangladesh part of Bangladesh-India Enclave Exchange Action Committee.
“We are all the more hopeful as an Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Ministry on Monday submitted an 'unanimous' report recommending passage of the Constitution amendment bill in the house for implementation of the agreement," said Mainul Haque, president of the committee.
Earlier Mamata, also president of Trinamul Congress, was seen as the main barrier to implementation of the agreement despite signing of a protocol by the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during Manmohan's visit to Dhaka on September 6 in 2011.
The protocol was signed in line with 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, popularly known as Mujib-Indira treaty.
As many as 162 enclaves were created on both sides of present India-Bangladesh border during the India-
Pakistan partition of 1947, leaving the enclave people virtually deprived of citizens' rights and basic civic amenities like adequate employment opportunities, infrastructure, educational institutions, electricity and medical facilities.
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 Paschimbanga in India.
"We hope to get real freedom with state facilities as the enclave exchange deal is going to be signed soon," said Ashraf Ali, 85, a resident of an Indian enclave in Patgram upazila.
Our Thakurgaon correspondent adds: Enclave people are eyeing early implementation of enclave exchange agreement as Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her consent on the deal on Thursday.
Visiting Indian enclave Puthimari inside Boda upazila and Garati enclave inside Panchagarh Sadar upazila of the district on Friday, this correspondent saw jubilant people distributing sweetmeats.
"We are now hopeful of implementation of the enclave exchange deal soon as Mamata Banarjee made a declaration on the matter," saidToslim Uddin, chairman of the local union parishad.
"We hope we will get nationality very soon and we will be able to admit our children to schools and colleges without hiding our real location and information," said Sirajul Islam, 55, of Puthimari enclave.
After implementation of enclave exchange deal, the residents will get assistance of law enforcers in time of need, Mofidar Rahman, chairman of Garati enclave, told this correspondent.