Land Boundary of Bangladesh : A Complete Overview

 


Introduction 

Bangladesh is a South Asian country, located in the delta of the Padma (Ganges) and Jamuna (Brahmaputra) rivers in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent. It has an Area of 147,570 sq. km. It is located between 20°34' to 26°38' north latitude and 88°01' to 92°41' east longitude. Maximum extension is about 440 km in E-W direction and 760 km in NNW-SSE direction. Borders of modern Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal in August 1947 at the time of partition of India.

Bangladesh Border 

Bangladesh is bordered with -

INDIA

  • West Bengal to the west and north
  • Assam to the north
  • Meghalaya to the north and northeast
  • Tripura and Mizoram to the east

MYANMAR

  • Burma to the southeast.

BAY OF BENGAL

  • Southern Part

 Bangladesh border is narrowly separated from Nepal and Bhutan by the Siliguri Corridor and separated from China by Sikkim. 


Bangladeshi Districts with Border 

There is a total of 32 bordering districts of Bangladesh. Among them 30 districts are with India and 3 districts are with Myanmar. Rangpur is the common district between these two countries. 

30 Districts with India 

Division

Total

Districts

Mymensingh

4

1. Jamalpur,      2.Sherpur,       3. Mymensingh      4. Netrokona

Sylhet

4

1. Sylhet,          2. Sunamganj, 3. Moulvibazar,      4. Habiganj

Chattogram

6

1. Chattogram,  2. Rangamati, 3. Khagrachori,

4. Feni,              5. Cumilla,     6. Brahmanbaria

Rajshahi

4

1. Jaipurhat,      2. Naogaon,    3. Chapainawabganj, 4. Rajshahi

Rangpur

6

1. Kurigram,     2. Lalmonirhat,  3. Panchagarh

4. Nilfamari,     5. Thakurgaon,   6. Dinajpur

Khulna

6

1. Meherpur,     2. Kushtia,          3. Chuadanga

4. Jhenaidah,    5. Jessore,          6. Shatkkhira

3 Districts with Myanmar 

Division

Total

Districts

Chattogram

3

1. Rangamati     2. Bandarban      3. Cox’s Bazar


Border Places, Upazilas, Districts and Divisions 

Location

Place

Upazila

District

Division

North Most

Jaygirjot/Banglabandha

Tetulia

Panchagarh

Rangpur

South Most

Chhera Island/Saint Martin Island

Teknaf

Cox’s Bazar

Chattogram

East Most 

Akhainthong

Thanchi

Bandarban

Chattogram

West Most

Monakosha

Shibganj

Chapainawabganj

Rajshahi

Northeast

-

Jokiganj

Sylhet

Sylhet

Southwest

-

Shyamnagar

Shatkhira

Khulna

Southeast

-

Teknaf

Cox’s Bazar

Chattogram



Quick Info's regarding Bangladesh Border

  • Barishal and Dhaka division has no connection with border.
  • 8 districts of West Bengal are connected along with border. (Murshidabad, Nadiya, Chobbish pargana, Maldah, Birbhum, Kuchbihar, Jolpaiguri, Barasat)
  • 15 districts with West Bengal.
  • 4 districts with Assam. (Kurigram, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar)
  • 6 district with Tripura. (Feni, Cumilla, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Khagrachori, Chattogram)
  • 4 district with Meghalaya. (Netrokona, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Mymensingh)
  • 1 common district with Tripura and Mizoram (Rangamati)
  • Bangladesh and India has 6.5 km of un-demarcated boundary. (Panchgar 1.5 km, Feni 2 km, Moulvibazar 3 km)
  • Panchagarh district of Bangladesh is located along with Berubari Union.
  • Farakka Barrage is 16.5 km from the border of Bangladesh, Near Shibganj.

 Enclaves (Chhitmahal Issues) 

Any portion of State that is entirely surrounded by the territory of another state’ is known as enclave.

Previous District wise location of Enclaves

Bangladeshi Enclaves inside India

Indian Enclaves inside Bangladesh

Location

No of Enclaves

Location

No of Enclaves

Kuchbihar

47

Lalmonirhat

59

Jolpaiguri

4

Panchagarh

36

Kurigram

12

Nilfamari

4

Total

51

111

Volume 7110 Acres

Volume 17158 Acres

Population 14215

Population 37369

§  NB: Out of 51 enclaves 18 was under Kurigram and 33 was under Lalmonirhat.

 Tin Bigha Corridor 


  • 16 May, 1974 Agreement:

       Bangladesh will handover Berubari and in return Bangladesh will get passage (178 m x 85 m) to Dahagram & Angorpota enclaves through Tin Bigha Corridor. This passage connects these Enclaves to Panbari Mouza in mainland of Bangladesh.

  • 26 June 1992:

        Leasing to Bangladesh at a token of price. (Now waived off)

  • 8 Sept 2011, Additional Protocol:

       24 Hrs access to Bangladeshi National to the Enclaves through the Passage.

 

Problems of Enclaves 

  • Inhabitants could not enjoy full legal rights (eg. Right to vote)
  • Deficient Infrastructural Facilities – Electricity, Schools, Health Services
  • Absence of Law Enforcement Agencies; Hot Bed of Criminal Activities.

 

Difficulties in Resolution of the Land Boundary Dispute

1.       Berubari Dispute

    • Omission of Thana Boda in Jalpaiguri District by Radcliff & erroneous depiction on map.
    • Resolved by Nehru – Noor Agreement; Division between India & East Pakistan; cleared by Supreme Court in 1971.
    • 1974 Agreement: Retained by India

2. Enclaves

§  Indian Enclaves in 4 district of Bangladesh.

§  Bangladeshi Enclaves in Cooch Bihar District of West Bengal.

3. Adverse Possessions

§  People are technically in occupation & possession of land beyond the Boundary Pillars.

§  Deep rooted ties to ancestral land; sentimental & religious attachments.

 

India - Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement 

§  16th May, 1974: Signed between Indira Gandhi & Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for resolving the enclave issue. (Also known as Mujib – Indira Treaty)

§  28th November, 1974: Amendment (3rd) in Bangladeshi Constitution regarding exchange of enclaves and fixation of boundary lines.

§  2001: Two Join Boundary Working Groups (JBWG) (Identify the boundary between Bangladesh and India.)

§  8 Sept, 2011: Additional Protocol for 1974 Agreement by India.

§  7th May, 2015: Revised Version adopted by two countries.

§  6th June, 2015: India – Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement entered into force by the approval of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha of India.

§  1 July, 2015: Official opening of enclave.

§  31st July, 2015 – 30th June, 2016: Physical Exchange of Enclaves.

§  75 Teams each comprising an Authority from India & Bangladesh – Enquire about Choice of Citizenship. 1 supervisor over 5 such team.

Outcome of India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement 

  • Transfer of 111 enclaves, adding up to 17,160.63 acres, from India to Bangladesh.
  • India received 51 enclaves, adding up to 7,110.02 acres, which were under Bangladesh.
  • Resolved adverse possessions, which were first addressed in the 2011 Protocol.

 

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