INDO-BANGLA BORDER The total length of Indo-Bangla border is 4095 km, of which 2216 km are in West Bengal, 262 km in Assam, 443 km in Meghalaya, 318 km in Mizoram and 856 km in Tripura.. Figures in this respect are inconsistent. Bangladesh claims that it has a border of 4427 km length with India and Myanmar. Since Myanmar shares a border of 193 km length with Bangladesh, according to Bangladesh figure, the length of Indo-Bangla border should be 4234 km.. According to CIA, Bangla shares a border of 4053 km with India. (source:The Bengal Borderland by Willem Van Schendel, page73, footnote 2.) It is a difficult border, not easy to control. BSF IG, P K Mishra (Assam Meghalaya sector) said a few years back“ The International borders in the North-east are more difficult and challenging compared to the western borders in terms of terrain and other factors.” In this context he referred to the existence of several enclaves of Bangla and India within each other’s territory calling them ‘adverse posession’. He said that there are 51 Bangladeshi enclaves covering an area of 711002 acres in India and 111 Indian enclaves with an area of 17158.13 acres in Bangladesh. ( reported in The Times of India, dated January 28,2009 Guwahati edition.) An agreement to exchange such adverse possessions has, however, been strictly resisted by several organizations of Assam. Not only it has difficult terrains, particularly in the North-east, but many large rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra have a large number of river islands locally called chars on the border rendering demarcation difficult. Many of these chars have shifting boundaries, some coming up only in winter season but a large number becoming permanent islands having settlements and cultivations. These chars are the springboards for the Bangla nationals to enter India illegally. Since the boundaries of these chars often shift due to river movement, jurisdictional claims lead to disputes and tensions from time to time. Disputes over the jurisdiction of many chars between Murshidabad and Rajshahi, Murshidabad and Kushtia are frequent. There are two major dimensions of Indo-Bangla border management (1) prevention of infiltration of Bangladesh nationals into India (2) prevention of the use of the porous border by many north-east insurgent groups and the terrorist elements sponsored by the ISI to commit subversion in this country. Here we are talking of infiltration only but both infiltration and cross-border movement by North-east insurgent groups/ Pak Terror modules have become easier because of poor border management. Infiltration : Continuous infiltration of illegal migrants from Bangladesh has had serious impact on demography in the north-east adversely impacting not only on the socio-economic life of the indigenous people but also politics of the region. There is widespread fear that if such infiltration continues foreign nationals will one day grab the political power and the indigenous people will lose their identity. On this issue a massive agitation was led by the powerful student organization ASSU in Assam for 6 long years from 1979 to 1985. Even an accord has failed to remove the fear psychosis of the people of Assam. There is a demand that border should be sealed in such a manner that infiltration from across the border becomes impossible. This is no easy task. Though construction of a fencing has been undertaken it may not be able to stop infiltration . Besides the formidable geographical difficulty, the borderland is an area where many vested interests are at play and the players are from both the countries. One is that cheap labours are in demand in this country for various economic activities e.g. agriculture, construction work, menial and household works etc.A network of agents operate on both sides. Schendel has remarked in his book referred above, “If there were 12 to 20 million unauthorised Bangladeshis in India, there were millions of Indians to employ them The Indian state never developed schemes either to hold the Indian citizens accountable for their illegal practices for employing aliens or to issue temporary work permit to labour migrants from Bangladesh.” Ranabir Samaddar in a write-up in 1999 ‘The Marginal Nation: Transport: Migrants from Bangladesh to West Bengal’ stated that a well developed chain of recruiters or agents of brokerage system from both sides for hiring cheap labour from Bangladesh exists. The Indian recruiting agents advance Indian money to their counterpart deep inside Banglasdesh for this purpose. Population pressure in Bangladesh ( around 1000 per square km, one of the most thickly populated area in the world), low per capita earning (500dollar GNP), job insecurity in Bangladesh and willing employers in India for hardy Bangladeshi labourers are attracting the Bangladeshis to cross over to India despite life’s uncertainty and hostile social environment. Since among the infiltrants there are more Muslims than Hindus such migration has communal bearing also. Out of the 55553 illegal migrants detected in border by the BSF in 1991, 42090 were Muslims and 13457 Hindus. Smuggling is thriving in the border. According to a Bangladesh estimate goods worth US dollar 100million entered Bangladesh from India in 2004. In Bangladesh, rivers are volatile. Even a large river like Padma frequently changes its course. Erosion being a serious problem in Bangladesh a large population is rendered homeless annually and they get displaced. Due to acute shortage of land in Bangladesh these homeless people often make a bee-line for Indian soil. According to a Bangladesh estimate river bank erosion alone displaces 60000 to 70000 people in that country every year. . SOME POINTS: In popular perception in the north-east, the border can be sealed by erecting a massive fencing. But the terrain being what it is this appears to be a myth. The Indo-Bangla border management needs multiple strategy. No doubt, in the plain areas border with intensive patrolling may be effective to a large extent. But other measures will also be required. There has to be intensive speed-boat patrolling in the riverine borders. All countryboats in the border districts should be registerd. The chars on the borders are the springboards from where the infiltrators spread to other areas. These chars need to be kept under surveillance by establishing watch-posts which should maintain a population register of settlers already occupying the lands there. All new illegal entrants should be pushed back. The watch post should maintain birth and death registers also and the registration power in this respect may be given to the watch post staff, if legally feasible. Smuggling has thrived around which a network of dalals and smugglers have thrived. It is possible to introduce regulated border trade that would benefit both the countries. The traditional border markets may be revived and new ones established, While free trading will give economic benefit to the borderland people such trades should be regulated by proper license and in strictly earmarked areas where the movement of traders and buyers will be controlled by registration. The National Register of Citizens as a data-base for legitimate citizens living in Assam should be completed in a time-bound manner and this should be compared with the National Population Register prepared at the time of 2011 Census. Those names found only in the later register and not in the former register would have entered into Assam after 1971 either from across the border or from other parts of the country. There lists should be separately prepared for verification of antecedents and those not found to have come from other states of the country be listed as doubtful citizen and debarred from voting. Foreigners’ Tribunals should take up these cases for further legal actions. Since it is the requirement of cheap labours from Bangladesh that is helping illegal migration, a pragmatic solution may be to introduce a system of work permit with photo identity cards and biometric records to discourage and neutralize the dalal network operating in the country. Only professionally run registered agencies should be allowed to handle such work force and they should be made legally liable to ensure that such workmen return to their country once permit expires. This can be done only when the borders are secured from illegal infiltration and passport check points are strictly regulated.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:09:53 +0000
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