Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh after the land boundary issue, pending for the last 56 years, has been resolved.
Modi will make a 36-hour visit to Dhaka: reaching on June 6 and returning on 7, during which Institution for Ratifying the land Boundary Agreement will be signed. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present in Dhaka during the signing of documents. However, it will take another four-five months for the full transfer of land and people to take place.
The lBA was passed unanimously by Parliament last month. On May 28 President Pranab Mukherjee gave assent to the Constitution (100th Amendment) Bill, 2015 to ratify the agreement on the demarcation of a section of India-Bangladesh border and transfer of territories. The Government has also issued a gazette notification in this regard.
In 1974 an agreement was signed between then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Bangladesh President Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. The 2015 Bill paves way for the demarcating the border as well as an exchange of over 160 enclaves between the two countries. Bangladesh will receive 111 enclaves (17,160 acres) from India’s possession and India will receive 51 enclaves (7,110 acres) from Bangladesh. As per 2011 census there are 37,334 people living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh while 14,215 people are in Bangla enclaves within India. Official sources said that after the lBA very few have chosen to relocate.
Both countries will give travel documents to people willing to go to other side. India will give papers like Aadhar Card, voters card etc to those staying on the India side so that they can avail government facilities. The Modi Government has agreed to sanction a little over Rs3,000 crore for their rehabilitation.