Full implementation of LBA stuck at Muhurir Char

A senior official of the government seeking anonymity said the 4,156 kilometre Bangladesh-India border have exhibited in 1,145 strip maps. Both the countries signed 1,144 maps as India refused to sign the last strip. Bangladesh and India signed Land Boundary Agreement in 1974 and the main objectives of the deal were to exchange enclaves, resolve problems related to adversely possessed land and settle 6.5 kilometre undemarcated border. Bangladesh ratified the agreement in 1974 and after long negotiation, both the countries signed a protocol in 2011 to implement the deal and subsequently India passed the Land Boundary Agreement in both of their houses. Last year, the enclaves were exchanged, adversely possessed land problems were resolved but out of the 6.5 kilometre undemarcated border, demarcation of two kilometre could not be done due to opposition from India. Both the countries have 6.5 kilometre undemarcated border in three districts. Out of that, Muhurir Char in Feni has two kilometre, Lathitila in Sylhet has three kilometre and Doikhata in Panchgarh has 1.5 kilometre. After land survey, India agreed to settle border in Sylhet and Panchgarh but it did not agree with Feni's undemarcated border. Another senior official of the Land Ministry said both the countries signed index map of Muhurir Char in December 2012 and subsequently under the joint supervision 45 pillars were erected on Muhurir Char border. But in 2015, India – during a joint meeting of the land survey departments of the countries – informed Bangladesh that they had objection of border demarcation, the official said. In Bangladesh-India joint boundary working group [JBWG] meeting last year, New Delhi said they signed the index map mistakenly and they wanted a new survey of the border, he said. Bangladesh responded negatively as it argued that the whole process was conducted complying the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 and its protocol in 2011, he added. In the JBWG meeting, it was decided that the issue would be resolved at the political level, the official said. Another Home Ministry official said it was discussed during the home minister level talks between the two countries in July. Bangladesh raised the issue and India took note of it but it was not resolved at the meeting, he said. The decision about Muhurir Char is likely to be settled at the top political level of the two countries, he added. The official said the issue is very sensitive. If there is any renegotiation and Bangladesh gets less land than earlier settled, it would have an adverse impact in the country, he added.