CHHITMAHAL (ENCLAVE)

Trinamul Congress demands exchange of enclaves

In a bid to make the party popular among the residents of the chhitmahals (enclaves) the Trinamul Congress adopted a plan to organise a massive movement highlighting the plights of those people who live almost literally in 'no men's lands' encircled by mainland of another country.

Sending a memorandum to the Union home minister Mr P Chdambaram the Trinamul Congress demanded exchange of the enclaves of India and Bangladesh as early as possible. They also demanded laying of the barbed wire fencing along the International border maintaining the scheduled distance from the zero-point of the border.

President of Cooch Behar district Trinamul Congress, Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said there were 131 Indian chhitmahals in Bangladesh territory and 95 Bangladeshi chhitmahals inside Indian territory. The population of Indians in the enclaves is about 2.5-lakh. He alleged that the residents of Bangladeshi enclaves enjoy facilities like ration card and voter card from India but the residents of the Indian enclaves have to live almost in a countryless situation. They have to live without basic facilities like hospitals, schools and security. Bangladeshi miscreants are stealing their cattle and lift young girls and they have to live under constant fear of attacks, dacoities and anti-social activities.

The Trinamul leader said in 1992 at the time of handing over of Tinbigha corridor to Bangladesh it was announced that the enclaves of the two neighbouring countries would be exchanged by two years but nothing was done till now. He demanded the Union home minister to take initiative to implement the promises.

According to schedule the barbed wire fencing was to be laid along the border at a distance of 150-yards from the zero-point of the border but at many places it was laid upto 500-yards from the zero-point. The Indian residents are the worst sufferers, as they had to leave the lands that are mostly cultivable lands. This indiscrimination should be corrected immediately, Mr Ghosh urged.

The Trinamul leader also pointed out that time schedule at many of the border gates along the barbed wire fencing never being maintained. As a result the locals have to suffer to attend schools and markets. They have to face difficulties to go even to the hospitals due to closed gates. The BSF should be instructed to maintain the time schedule and the gates should be kept opened from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., he demanded. As the BSF jawans come from other provinces there is a regular problem of communication due to difference of languages, he said. The Union home minister should look into this problem and arrange deploying of BSF jawans who know Bengali, the Trinamul Congress leader appealed.