BGB yesterday recovered 12.04 hectare land at the Chuadanga border which was in India’s adverse possession for 66 years.
At 11am yesterday, personnel from 6 BGB Battalion erected border flags on the land to mark Bangladesh’s control.
Lt Col SM Moniruzzman, director of the BGB battalion, said there had been a 12.04 hectare stretch of land inside Bangladesh’s territory from border pillar number 61/3-S to 61/9-S.
He said: “Some Hindu and Shantal families lived on that land. However, they went to India after the 1947 partition. Since then, India had been enjoying the adverse possession of the land.
“It is not a land in adverse possession. We can still see the pillars erected by the India-Pakistan joint surveyor team at that time [1947],” he said.
Scrutinising documents in the local land office, BGB found that the land was registered with Chuadanga district administrator’s office in 1962. Of the land, 10.43 hectare belonged to the district administration and the rest to a private owner.
“Since the land had been under India’s possession, neither the government nor any individual has ever taken any initiative for recovery,” he added.
The 6 BGB Battalion took an initiative in this regard in April last year after it took charge of the Chuadanga border.
They held a number of discussions with the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), the local administration and people.
Lt Col SM Moniruzzaman said India had failed to produce any legal document in favour of their long possession.
Recently, under the supervision of the BGB battalion, the land was ploughed and a number of vegetable seeds were sowed.
According to existing rules, the recovered land would now be distributed among the local landless people.
In May 2010, a five-member government team inspected the area and submitted a report to the then director general of the Directorate of Land Record and Survey.
In February 2011, Chuadanga district administration sent a letter to the district magistrate of India’s Nadia to discuss the adverse possession issue.
However, the Indian side has never replied that letter.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
