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Bangladesh and India begin joint census of border areas
14 July 2011 Last updated at 01:06 ET
By Ethirajan Anbarasan
BBC News, Dhaka
The India-Bangladesh border is not demarcated properly
Bangladesh and India have begun their first-ever joint census of areas along their border to resolve some territorial anomalies.
Since the country's independence in 1971, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis live in 51 enclaves in India while India has 100 areas within Bangladesh.
The residents are in effect stateless and lack access to public services.
Both countries are close to a deal to exchange these enclaves as part of long-standing boundary negotiations.
The census will be held over three days. It aims to find out the number of people living in these enclaves.
The inhabitants of these areas often have little access to schools, hospitals and other public services.
Now, Bangladesh and India are inching towards a deal to exchange these enclaves as part of their efforts to resolve their long-standing boundary issues.
The question is - what will happen to the people?
The two governments say it is up to the residents to decide where they want to live.
The two countries hope to reach some sort of an agreement to exchange these enclaves during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September this year.
Source: BBC News - Bangladesh and India begin joint census of border areas
14 July 2011 Last updated at 01:06 ET
By Ethirajan Anbarasan
BBC News, Dhaka
The India-Bangladesh border is not demarcated properly
Bangladesh and India have begun their first-ever joint census of areas along their border to resolve some territorial anomalies.
Since the country's independence in 1971, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis live in 51 enclaves in India while India has 100 areas within Bangladesh.
The residents are in effect stateless and lack access to public services.
Both countries are close to a deal to exchange these enclaves as part of long-standing boundary negotiations.
The census will be held over three days. It aims to find out the number of people living in these enclaves.
The inhabitants of these areas often have little access to schools, hospitals and other public services.
Now, Bangladesh and India are inching towards a deal to exchange these enclaves as part of their efforts to resolve their long-standing boundary issues.
The question is - what will happen to the people?
The two governments say it is up to the residents to decide where they want to live.
The two countries hope to reach some sort of an agreement to exchange these enclaves during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September this year.
Source: BBC News - Bangladesh and India begin joint census of border areas
