Fence along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura

Agartala, Aug. 25: The 75-acre Muhuri sar in Belonia subdivision of south Tripura and the 148-acre Chandan Nagar enclave in Kamalpur subdivision of Dhalai continue to be “disputed” areas involving India and Bangladesh.

“The Muhuri river flows from Belonia subdivision into Bangladesh and the sar that formed in the river in the late 60s continues to be a disputed area because both the countries have been claiming their right over it. Chandan Nagar in Kamalpur subdivision, is in our view an area of adverse possession since the days of erstwhile East Pakistan,” said Mohamed Abdul Mannan, director general of Bangladesh’s land and survey department and the leader of the Bangladesh delegation that arrived here to take part in the bilateral discussion with the Indian delegation over joint border management.

The leaders of the delegations of both the countries interacted with reporters last night in the government-run circuit house.

Mannan, however said India and Bangladesh have had friendly relations since 1971, after the emergence of Bangladesh, and all problems will be sorted out amicably.

“When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Bangladesh in 2011, the two countries reached an agreement on the exchange of enclaves and other border issues but the agreement is yet to be ratified in the Indian Parliament and Bangladesh’s national assembly. But it will be duly done. We are friends and will remain so,” he said.

The chief of the Indian delegation, N.R. Biswal, who is also the director general of revenue and land settlement of the Indian government, said the bilateral discussions were held in a very “friendly and cordial manner”.

He said an understanding had been reached that the issue of 500 pillars on the 856km-long border between Tripura and Bangladesh will be looked into.

“There is no problem over the pillar issue. Some of the pillars are missing while others need repair. We will jointly identify them and do the necessary repair and maintenance, besides tracing the exact spots of the missing pillars,” Biswal added.

Biswal said by the end of the current financial year, officials from Bangladesh and India would complete the pillar work in South Tripura, Sipahijala and West Tripura districts across the border.

The four-day 82nd meeting between the delegations of Bangladesh and India concluded yesterday.

Both Mannan and Biswal said the next round of meetings over joint border management would be held in Dhaka soon to finalise the modus operandi of the pillar work.

The delegation from Bangladesh returned through the Akhaura checkpost, 2km west of Agartala, this morning.