They're back only to get compensation

Many residents of Bangladesh enclaves inside India, who have been allegedly enjoying the Indian government's privileges after leaving their enclaves, are returning to their birthplaces.

On the first day of the 18-day official survey that began yesterday, many such people were seen enrolling their names in the lists of enclave residents to receive compensation from the government.

Bangladesh and India launched the survey of their 162 enclaves as per the Land Boundary Agreement between the two neighbouring countries.

However, sources in the administration confirmed that only the enclave people, who were listed during the July 14-July 17, 2014 census, would be brought under the compensation scheme.

According to the 2011 census, a total of 37,369 people live in the 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh while 14,215 people live in the 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside Indian territory.

Several hundred families have already returned to their old addresses in Bangladesh enclaves inside India since the signing of the Land Boundary Agreement on June 7.

These residents have Indian voter cards and Below Poverty Level ration cards, sources said.

Many residents of the enclaves alleged that these beneficiaries had never been among the people who carried out movement for citizenship to the inhabitants of the enclaves.

While the house owner, right, looks on. Many dwellers of Bangladeshi enclaves in India had left their homesteads and gone to the Indian mainland for a better life. But they are now reportedly returning to the enclaves, and are repairing or building new houses to claim compensations from the Indian government. Photo: Subrata Acharya

But they are now returning to the enclaves, building their houses and enlisting their names only to enjoy the government privileges.

A resident of Puatarkuti enclave, who is also a member of the India-Bangladesh Enclaves Exchange Coordination Committee, told this correspondent that about 50 families returned to Puatarkuti and had been building houses openly.

Another 70 to 80 families have also returned to three or four other enclaves, he claimed.

This correspondent learnt that Sajal Sarker, Zahirul Sarker, Abdul Rashid Manik and Abul Hossain returned to Puatarkuti enclave and had been building houses there.

Contacted, Sajal Sarker said they had been living outside the enclave, the land of their forefathers, in the hope of getting Indian citizenship. 

Now, they have returned to their enclave as the Indian government is going to offer privileges and citizenship after the survey, he said.

Diptiman Sengupta, general secretary of the coordination committee, admitted that the outsiders were coming to the enclave and building houses there.

He also said the government would look into the matter.

Contacted, Cooch Behar District Magistrate P Ulaganathan said the name of any outsider would not be enlisted during the survey in enclaves.