Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangl

Q. Why is this in news?

A. Union Home Minister has said that the Northeast States will be linked by road and railway to Bangladesh in a year or two under the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).

Q. What is the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA)?

A. 

• India and Bangladesh have signed the LBA in 2014 to ensure proper connectivity in the region.
• The operationalization of LBA lays the way for the exchange of 162 enclaves under the control of either country as per the 1974 pact.
• Under the Agreement, 111 border enclaves will be transferred to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 that will become part of India.
• The agreement settles an old land boundary dispute which dates back to colonial times as India transfers 111 border enclaves to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 enclaves.
• It also settles the question of citizenship for over 50,000 people residing under these enclaves.

Q. Why was such an agreement needed?

A.

• India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km land boundary covering West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
• This is the largest among the international boundaries that India shares with its neighbors.
• On this boundary, some 50,000-100,000 people reside in so-called Chitmahals or Indo-Bangladeshi enclaves.
• There are 102 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and 71 Bangladeshi ones inside India.
• Inside those enclaves are also 28 counter-enclaves and one counter-counter-enclave, called Dahala Khagrabari.

Q. What is the Inception of the agreement?

A. 

• For the first time, a vision to solve this issue had been enshrined in the Indira-Mujib pact of 1972.
• Accordingly, the India-Bangladesh LBA was signed between the two countries in 1974.
• However, this agreement need ratification from the parliaments of both countries as it involved the exchange of the territories.
• While Bangladesh had ratified it as back as 1974 only, it was not ratified by the Indian parliament till 2014.
• The 119th Amendment Bill 2013 sought to ratify the land boundary agreement between the two countries.

Q. What are the Key features of the LBA?

A. 

• The LBA envisages a transfer of 111 Indian enclaves to Bangladesh in return of 51 enclaves to India.
• The area transferred to India is less than that transferred by India to Bangladesh. In totality India incurs a net loss in terms of area occupancy.
• This remained a major concern of opposition from the north-eastern affected states and west Bengal.
• Also, most of the area concerned is occupied by the tribals of the North-Eastern states and hence the swapping takes away their land rights leaving them more vulnerable.
• Current Status of the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill has been passed by the Parliament of India on 7th May 2015.
• While India will gain 510 acres of land, ten thousand acres of land will notionally go to Bangladesh.
• This legislation will redraw India’s boundary with Bangladesh by exchanging enclaves in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.

Q. What are the Implications of the Agreement?

A. 

• It will secure the long-stranded boundary and enable to curb the illegal migration, smuggling and criminal acts cross the border.
• It would help those stateless citizens by granting them citizenship from their respective countries. It would help settle the boundary dispute at several points in Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, and west Bengal.
• It would improve the access to underdeveloped north-eastern states and would further enhance the developmental works in the region.
• It would help to increase the connectivity with south-east Asia as part of India’s North-eastern policy.