Citizenship given to 14,864 people who opt to stay in India: Home Ministry

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry has approved citizenship to 14,864 people who chose to stay in India following exchange of adversely-held enclaves with Bangladesh under the landmark land boundary agrement. The decision to grant the citizenship was taken recently, said a senior Home Minister official on Tuesday.

India and Bangladesh exchanged 162 adversely-held enclaves at the stroke midnight of July 31-Aug 1 this year, just over a month after the signing of an enabling document between the two countries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June this year to implement the historic land boundary agreement passed by Indian parliament.

The exchange of enclaves ended one of the world's most complex border disputes that had lingered for seven decades as a result of the legacy British colonial rule. 111 Indian enclaves measuring 17,160 acres became part of Bangladesh territory while 51 Bangladesh enclaves measuring 7,110 acres became Indian territory.

According to an estimate, around 37,000 people were living in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh while 14,000 people were staying in Bangladeshi enclaves in India.

The grant of citizenship by the Union Home Ministry to the 14, 864 people brought to an end their nightmare of being stateless citizens without access to civic services, education, health-care and other facilities provided by the two governments to their respective nationals.

A survey was jointly carried out by the two countries to ascertain the citizenship choice of the residents of the enclaves from July 6-16 this year.

Indian and Bangladshi authorities are working together to facilitate trouble-free movement of the residents as per their citizenship options before the stipulated date of November 30, 2015.

Between July 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, the entire process, including physical exchange of enclaves and land parcels in adverse possession along with boundary demarcation, is expected to be completed.