Bangladesh reclaims 110 acres after 40 years
Created on January 24, 2014 at 02:24
The land, known as Muhuri Char, on the bank of river Muhuri in Feni, has already been handed over to the Bangladesh border authorities
Bangladesh has reclaimed 110 acres of land from India, 40 years after the Mujib-Indira Land Boundary Agreement was signed in 1974.
The land, known as Muhuri Char, on the bank of river Muhuri in Feni, has already been handed over to the Bangladesh border authorities.
Abul Kashem, an official of the Survey of Bangladesh, said the settlement was reached after a five-day joint survey conducted by the surveyors of the two countries.
Prior to the survey, settlement officers from Bangladesh visited the land and held a meeting with their Indian counterparts.
Temporary pillars have already been erected around the area to mark the dividing line. The construction of a permanent pillars is likely to start next month.
Sources said the land belonged to Bangladesh under the bilateral land treaty, but remained abandoned as a no man’s land.
It was declared a no man’s land after the border security force of India established blocks on the Indian part and stopped Bangladeshis from establishing blocks on their side of the river, resulting in riverbank erosion.
In this regard, Lt Col Khaled Mahmud, captain of BGB 19 battalion, said a lot of conflicts had occurred centring around the possession of the land, which ultimately led to its being declared a no man’s land after a bilateral meeting between the two countries.
He also said all formalities necessary for an official land handover would be complete within the next two months.
Source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/foreign-affairs/2014/jan/24/bangladesh-reclaims-110-acres-after-40-years