India set to speed up land boundary issue with Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: Giving a further boost to the bilateral ties, India is set to speed up the process of resolving the land boundary issue with Bangladesh when External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid begins a two-day visit to Dhaka from tomorrow.

Khurshid and his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni would chair the second meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) that would take up a wide spectrum of bilateral issues, official sources said today.

This is Khurshid's maiden visit to Bangladesh after taking charge of the External Affairs Ministry last year.

The crucial land boundary issue involves exchange of land involving 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India.

The issue has been hanging fire for several years as additional protocols for the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement had to be formalised. The protocols were signed during the 2011 visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday had cleared the constitutional amendments required for ratification of these protocols, a move that would facilitate the implementation of the India-Bangladesh boundary agreement.

The constitution amendment bill is expected to be tabled in the coming Budget session of Parliament, top government sources said, adding that the Cabinet has also cleared the draft legislation.

Bangladesh has already ratified the pact. Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, while Bangladesh enclaves in India are located in 7,110 acres of land.

The sources did not comment when asked whether the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) would be signed during the proposed visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Dhaka next month.

Khurshid and Dipu Moni are also expected to review the groundwork for Mukherjee's visit.

During his stay in Dhaka, Khurshid would call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. His last visit to Bangladesh was in May last year as the Minister for Law and Justice and Minority Affairs.