Much awaited Enclave exchange at midnight

 

Cooch Behar, 31 July : Official exchange of Chhitmahals (Enclaves) of India and Bangladesh will be done at mid-night today. By this, the enclave-dwellers will get all amenities as genuine citizens. Official sources said that 111 enclaves of India encircled by Bangladeshi mainland and 51 enclaves of Bangladesh encircled by Indian Territory will be exchanged between the two neighbouring countries at midnight today.

As the country is observing mourning following sudden demise of ex-President APJ Abdul Kalam, there will be no official programme to mark the exchange of Chhitmahals. On the otherhand, an organisation named Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Co-ordination Committee is going to observe the historic event by festive ceremony at Masaldanga enclave (till now a Bangladeshi enclave), according to a spokesman of the organisation.

It may be mentioned here that the dwellers of Chhitmahals of both countries have been suffering form statelessness and all other facilities offered to the genuine citizens of a country since Independence. A number of agreements and treaties were inked between the two countries but the much awaited exchange of enclaves have not done till now. At last, the dwellers of the enclaves are going to get their citizenships. 51,000 residents of the enclaves have made their mindset to choose the country they want to live in. They are now observing the Independence once again.