Failed promises: Cooch Behar's enclave dwellers ask govt for land rights

The end of a long dispute

This will be the second year the enclave dwellers will be celebrating the Independence Day on the Indian side, but they feel as though they are still stuck in 'no-man's land' as they are yet to receive the basic amenities from the state government.

Bangladesh and India exchanged 162 adversely-held enclaves on 1 August 2015, ending one of the world's most complex border disputes that had lingered since seven decades. One hundred and eleven Indian enclaves measuring 17,160 acres became Bangladesh territory and similarly, 51 Bangladesh enclaves measuring 7,110 acres became Indian territory.

The 51 enclaves are spread across Dinhata, Mekliganj, Sitai, Sitalkuchi and Toofanganj assembly constituencies of Cooch Behar.

A question of rights

With this momentous act, around 14,864 Bangladeshis became Indian citizens.

Kabiruddin Sheikh, 21, a resident of Moshaldanga Kochua Enclave, says that besides not receiving land rights yet, they are also not entitled to enroll themselves in Central government schemes like Indira Awas Yojana, MNREGA.

Because of these two factors, he says, most in his village are living in a state of abject poverty.

Diptiman Sengupta, the Chief Coordinator of Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee, who has been fighting for the rights of the enclave dwellers for a long time, says, "Enclave dwellers were confronted with two big issues: job reservation and quick disposal of land settlement. After Independence Day, they have decided to launch a state-wide agitation in protest against state government's lackadaisical attitude of providing land rights to the enclave dwellers."

Sengupta added that they would also meet with the Prime Minister in October first week and urge him to instruct the state government to expedite the work of land surveys.

"There are about 15,000 people in the enclaves who have got Indian citizenship. Of them, 9,776 are eligible voters who have voted for the first time," Sengupta said. Some of their demands, he told Catch, include 10% reservation in government jobs and that all development work in the enclaves be carried out through the active involvement of the residents.

No access to basic amenities

According to the enclave dwellers, they have already sent a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and also made a request to the district administration to help speed the process up.

P Ulaganathan, the District Magistrate of Cooch Behar, says that they have already started the process of land survey and gazette notification will be issued soon.

But so far, only 100 acres have been surveyed and senior officials of the state government say that it will take time to complete the land survey. It is only then that they would be in a position to provide the land rights to the enclave dwellers.

Saddam Hossain, a resident of Madhya Moshaldanga, says his famlily feels unsafe at night. "It is unsafe to travel during night from one place to another as there is no street light and they have to lit up candle during night at their home. We do not know when we will get power," he says.

Hossain adds, "We have to travel 20 km everyday to collect groceries and vegetables as there is no market nearby. It is also difficult to call an ambulance in times of emergency."

Udayan Guha, TMC MLA of Cooch Behar said, "We have already started the land survey and we will complete it as early as possible."

Asked about the issue, BJP national president Rahul Sinha said, "TMC tries to give false assurance to the enclave dwellers and we will take up the issue with the Centre."

The right to vote granted

In 2016, more than 9,000 persons living in the 51 enclaves in Coochbehar district exercised their franchise for the first time on 5 May.

In 2011, the Trinamool Congress had won three of the seven assembly segments in the Cooch Behar parliamentary constituency - Sitalkuchi, Mathabhanga and Sitai. The margins of victory ranged from a low of 0.04% in Sitalkulchi to a high of 3% in Mathabhanga.

The Forward Bloc narrowly managed to resist TMC's 2011 poriborton surge in the remaining four seats. But after late Kamal Guha's son Udayan Guha joined TMC, the vote share increased.

The change began from 2012, when thousands of Left supporters joined the TMC. Then, in the 2016 Assembly election, TMC won eight seats in Cooch Behar except Cooch Behar Uttar went to Forward Bloc.

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