With the land boundary agreement (LBA) now complete, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is beginning work on the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh. On August 11-12, Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet in New Delhi to take stock of things after the land and population exchange as well as work out a checklist for Teesta, which is tougher given the implications for West Bengal farmers.
Read more: Migration of former exclave residents to take time
Under the LBA agreement, Bangladesh gave India a total area of 7,110 acres, covering 51 exclaves, and in return received 17,160 acres covering 111 exclaves.
After 68 years of stateless existence, 14,000 people living in Bangladeshi enclaves in India have opted to stay in India. However, out of the 37,000 living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, only 979 people have opted to come to India.
Take a look: New lands to get electricity soon • Exclave residents want new territories declared as unions
India had reckoned that many more living in Bangladesh would opt to come to India (given the large numbers of illegal migrants who do). This created an interesting quandary for New Delhi and West Bengal government.
Accordingly, the home secretary had informed the West Bengal government that a package of Rs3,009 crore would be given to West Bengal to pay for the rehabilitation of the estimated thousands who were to come. With the final number being only 979, the finance and home ministries have told Mamata that the payout would be much less.
Read more: Exclaves rife with rumours of Indian aid package
Mamata has been invited to meet Modi on August 11-12 so the Centre and the state can work out a financial support package that covers the effects of both the LBA and Teesta agreement for Bengal. This would include infrastructure, irrigation support, deal with arsenic in ground water, rehabilitation of displaced persons and new citizens.
All 51 Bangladeshi enclaves which are now Indian territory are in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal - after 68 years they have to be provided with facilities they had been denied all these years.
Also read: Indian exclave residents choose to become Bangladeshi • Why some are opting for India
