Indo-Bangladesh enclaves

The Indian - Bangladeshi enclaves form a complex of enclaves and exclaves on the Indo - Bangladeshi border. They became known by its status as the most complex and largest complex of enclaves and exclaves in the world.

Statistical

The complex consists of 106 enclaves in the Indian state of West Bengal in Bangladesh and 92 Bangladeshi enclaves in India. The total area of the Indian enclaves is 69.6 km ², which the Bangladeshi amounts to 49.7 km ². A total of 28 enclaves are inside other enclaves ( Unterenklaven ), of which seven to India and 21 belong to Bangladesh. Even the smallest enclave in the world, Upan Chowki Bhaini, a Bangladeshi enclave with an area of ​​53 m², is located in this complex.

There is also in this complex an enclave in an enclave in an enclave ( Unterunterenklave ). This Indian enclave is the only enclave of third order in the world. It consists of a Jutefeld named " Dahala Khagrabari " ( first of 51) and is located in the Bangladeshi Unterenklave Upanchowki Bhajni, which in turn lies in the Indian enclave Balapara Khagrabari, which is on the border of the Bangladeshi sub-districts ( Upazilas ) Debiganj and Domar is located.

Geography

The enclaves are located mainly in Koch Bihar district in the Indian state of West Bengal, the autonomous princely state of Cooch Behar was until the independence of India. Also, the West Bengal Jalpaiguri district has some enclaves and exclaves. On the Bangladesh side, this applies for the Districts Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, which lie in the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. The easternmost Bangladeshi exclave bordered on one side to the Assamese district of Dhubri.

The estimated population of the enclaves is approximately 70,000, although the estimates run very far apart. An exact number can not be specified because the officials of the statistical authorities received virtually no access to the areas.

The area is flat, marshy and fertile, and is crossed by many large and small rivers. The most important are from east to west Dudhkumar or Raidak, Kaljani, Dharia or Singimari, Tista and Karatoya.

The largest towns in and around the area are Dhubri from east to west, Kurigram, Koch Bihar, Dinhata, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Dhupguri, Nilphamari, Domar, Mainaguri, Haldibari, Jalpaiguri and Panchagarh.

Population

Nearly the entire population consists of Bengali -speaking Bengal. In terms of religion, there is a big difference. While in the Indian part mainly Hindus live, there are Muslims in Bangladesh. Another difference is the standard of living is higher on the Indian side, on average, than Bangladeshi.

History

In the years 1711 and 1713 included the Mughal Empire and the Kingdom of Cooch Behar, which were in dispute for some time, a contract. This went a large part of Cooch Behar to the Mughal Empire. Due to the opposition of some local chiefs of Cooch Behar enclaves emerged in the field of the Mughal Empire. More Zerteilungen learned the limits by possessions of Mughal soldiers across the border in Cooch Behar. However, many problems are not caused the large number of enclaves, as Cooch Behar was the Mughal Empire to tax in the following years and most enclaves were self catering.

As of 1765, the influence of the British East India Company took to the Mughal Empire, however, the princely state of Cooch Behar was sovereign. Thus began the enclaves and exclaves, to play a role as outdoor courts for violators.

1947 British India was divided into India and Pakistan, which Cooch Behar bordered on East Pakistan. 1949 Cooch Behar was added as a province of India, and in 1950 it was a district in the state of West Bengal. Almost all enclaves between the various Indian administrative regions were rehabilitated in the following years.

In 1958 the first negotiations to resolve the situation around the enclaves. However, this only led to few results and some plans met with resistance in some of the local population.

East Pakistan in 1971, the independent state of Bangladesh. In 1974, the governments of India and Bangladesh agreed to exchange the enclaves of the areas and / or to facilitate access to each other's enclaves. The contract for this was signed by Bangladesh, but had (as of 2007 ) still to be ratified by India. In 2001, the countries have continued to talk about the problem, but it was still not achieve a result.

In practice,

Since the division of British India and the tensions between the States which have arisen because the situation in the enclaves has become quite complicated. The main reason for this is that, with few exceptions, the country prevents a country from the other, to govern its exclaves and to exercise his authority there.

Although numerous attempts have been made to facilitate access to the enclaves - for example, to create a corridor to set up mechanisms for the delivery of goods and the entry and exit of Enklavenbewohner - the situation in the enclaves over the years has only worsened. In most residential enclaves, there is no electricity or fresh water, because the two countries do not allow it to lay lines over that of another area. Most enclaves are also economically cut off from their motherland. Therefore, they are dependent on illegal border crossings, third party supplies or need to provide complete self. There is the possibility that the residents get the permission to leave their enclave. But this they must have a visa that must be at the consulate of the country in which the enclave is to pick up. The only way to reach the consulate, is the boundary or boundaries to cross illegally, which is not dangerous. In addition, rules through these barriers is an acute shortage of medicines and there are no schools.

First of all inhabitants of the Indian enclaves are warped over the years to India, because the situation was intolerable. Your place was occupied by poor Bengalis from Bangladesh, which thus found illegally on Indian territory. However, this has little consequence because the area is de facto no man's land, which does not mean that Bangladesh will take care of these occupied enclaves. Also, the enclaves on both sides are breeding grounds for smugglers and other criminals.

The situation is different from enclave to enclave. The residents of some enclaves are allowed to shop at the local market and to send their children to the local school. The largest Bangladeshi exclave Dohogram - Angorpotha is next since 1999, with funds from the Tin Bigha corridor - with the mother country. However, this does not apply to public supply, which a hospital was useless there, because they had no electricity.