New Delhi (BBN)-India has appraised Bangladesh about the status of ratification of their Land Boundary Agreement and indicated that a constitutional amendment bill may be taken up by Parliament soon to demarcate the boundary.
During home secretary-level talks between India and Bangladesh in New Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, home secretary L C Goyal reportedly told his Bangladeshi counterpart Mozzamel Haque Khan that with the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs having unanimously approved the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013, the way had been paved for its consideration and passage by Parliament, reports The Times of India.
Though the BJP and Trinamool Congress were earlier opposed to the bill, they shed their reservations and supported it during deliberations of the standing committee.
Incidentally, even as the foreign ministry pilots the bill in Parliament, the home ministry is busy discussing the modalities of execution and implementation of the LBA on the ground.
These include offering Indian citizenship to the Bangladeshis settled in enclaves here, while giving Indian citizens settled in enclaves across the border the option of moving base to Indian territory.
The latter category is proposed to be compensated and suitably rehabilitated upon arrival in India.
The home ministry is working out the extent of financial aid needed to accommodate this new category of citizens, in consultation with the state governments of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, which house the enclaves.
The other key issues discussed at the home-secretary level talks related to security and border management.
The two sides agreed to a coordinated border management plan, more joint patrolling to tackle crimes including smuggling and heightened border vigil through deployment of Bangladeshi troops in hitherto unguarded areas adjoining Tripura and Mizoram.
The Indian delegation appreciated action taken by Bangladesh against Indian insurgent groups operating on its soil and carriers of fake Indian currency.
The two sides expressed satisfaction with the regular meetings between deputy commissioners or district magistrates of border districts on either side, as a means to expeditiously resolve local issues.
BBN/SK/AD-19Feb15-3:40pm (BST)