The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Constitutional Amendment Bill that will facilitate the implementation of the India-Bangladesh boundary agreement signed in 2011. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its nod to the draft of the Constitutional Bill to amend the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, 1974.
Additional protocols for 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September 2011, require a constitutional amendment for ratification as these involve exchange of land in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian soil, said officials.
Bangladesh has already ratified the pact.
Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, while Bangladesh enclaves in India are located in 7,110 acres of land. The Bill is expected to be tabled in the coming Budget Session of Parliament for Parliamentary approval.
BJP, however, has opposed the land swap agreement with Bangladesh saying that the country’s territorial integrity stands to be compromised. It has also passed resolutions in the past opposing any such agreement.
The main Opposition party has been demanding complete details of the land transfer protocols with tabling of relevant survey maps in Parliament and a comprehensive discussion before any step is taken up to part with Indian territories.
Source: Daily Pioneer
