51,000 enclave dwellers on India-Bangladesh border finish recording choice of nationality

NEW DELHI: This week was the deadline for 51,000 people to decide whether they want to be Bangladeshi or Indian citizens. They are at the heart of the exchange between India and Bangladesh following the ratification of the land boundary agreement by the two countries recently.

Sources said the two governments have recorded the wishes of all the people involved. They have been asked whether they would want to become Indian or Bangladeshi citizens. The last such census was done in 2011, and this year that list was updated. By July 31, the land "exchange" will be completed, and population movement will start after the monsoons and will be completed by November 30. Officials said there would be no extension of the deadlines. Media reports have quoted officials on the ground as saying almost everyone wants to remain in India. Other officials said there are some families who are divided in their decisions, so governments have let them arrive at a conclusion themselves.

Currently there are 37,000 Indians living in enclaves inside Bangladesh and 14,000 Bangladeshi citizens in enclaves inside India.

Indian officials are currently going through land records of the areas to be exchanged with Bangladesh and vice versa. This is a difficult exercise because in many instances no such records exist. In that case, the district authorities will have to crowd-source ownership details. Officials said they have taken the precaution that a person can only sell their land after informing the district magistrate (in India this would be the DM of Cooch Behar) only after July 31. This, they said, was to prevent "distress" sales or succumb to pressure by land sharks.

The next step would be to demarcate the maps, which is currently being done by officials from both countries together, so as to harmonize the maps in both countries.