126 more go to India today
A total of 126 people of 29 families in the erstwhile Indian enclaves in Kurigram and Nilphamari districts will cross the border into India today.
The Indian government has already issued travel passes for them.
During a joint survey conducted by the India-Bangladesh survey team in July, as many as 979 former Indian enclave dwellers opted to relocate to India.
Of them, 71 from four enclaves in Kurigram will leave Bangladesh for India today. The members of 14 families will enter India through Bagvandar-Shahebganj border check post in the district's Bhurungamari upazila.
The district administration has already arranged vehicles for transporting their goods to the check post.
Kurigram deputy commissioner, UNOs of Phulbari and Bhurungamari, top police and custom officials and some relatives of the would-be Indian nationals will be present at the check post to bid them goodbye.
Shohel Maruf, in-charge (enclave) at the district control room, said: “Seventy Indian travel pass holders from two former enclaves in Kurigram have already changed their mind and appealed to the DC for staying in Bangladesh.”
The next batches of people will cross into India on November 24, 26 and 29.
In Nilphamari, 55 people of 15 families from six former Indian enclaves will travel to India today through the Chilahati-Haldibari border.
Chilahati is a bordering town of Nilphamari district and Haldibari is a subdivision under Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
A few days ago, Border Guard Bangladesh at Dangapara border outpost in Nilphamari and Indian Border Security Force at Khalpara camp of Cooch Behar constructed a 150-metre-long road on the no man's land for smooth migration of people.
Domar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sabiha Sultana said people from the six erstwhile enclaves will go to India in four phases (November 22, 23, 24 and 26).
The district administration has completed preparations for smooth passage of people through the border.
Today, 55 people will be first taken to Dangapara Abdur Rouf Govt Primary School where officials will verify their transit documents and perform medical check-up on them.
The BGB will then take them towards the newly built road on the no man's land and hand them over to the BSF at Khalpara camp, said officials.
On Thursday, 67 former enclave dwellers crossed the Burimari border in Lalmonirhat into India in the first batch.
The two countries swapped 162 enclaves on July 31 midnight to implement the historic Land Boundary Agreement.
Our correspondents from Kurigram and Nilphamari contributed to this report.
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