India will return about 200 acres of land to the Bangladeshi owners, which had eroded into its territory over the continuous erosion of Padma River across the Kushtia’s Daulatpur border after conducting a proper survey.
The decision came at a meeting between the border security forces of the two countries—BGB and BSF was held 150 yards inside Indian territory near the Jamalpur BOP at border pillar 152/7-S in Kushtia’s Mahishkundi in Daulatpur on Sunday.
The meeting started at noon and continued till the evening. BSF imitated BGB in the meeting.
Lieutenant Colonel Mahbub Murshed Rahman, Commander of BGB’s 47th Battalion, confirmed that during the meeting, a mutual understanding was reached between the senior officials of both countries' border security forces regarding the disputed land. He added that it was decided to conduct a fresh survey and return the land to the actual owners.
The disputed lands are located in the Chollishpara area of Ramkrishnapur Union in Daulatpur in Kushtia, near the Indian border along the Padma River.
Local people who are real owners of the land, said that the erosion of Padma River and other natural disasters had caused the boundary from BGB’s Border Outpost (BOP) Pillar 157/MP to 85/10-S, spanning approximately three kilometers, to become disorganized.
According to BGB sources, during a survey on February 10 this year, it was found that about 200 acres of Bangladeshi land had been misplaced within India, and about 40 acres of Indian land had ended up inside Bangladesh.
Lieutenant Colonel Md. Mahbub Murshed Rahman, Commander of the 47th Battalion represented the meeting from the Bangladesh side while Commandant Vikram Dev Singh of the Roshanbagh Battalion of West Bengal in India.
In a conversation with The Kushtia Times, Lieutenant Colonel Mahbub Murshed Rahman stated that both battalion commanders have agreed to resurvey the land next October in the presence of surveyors, BGB, and BSF, and then hand it over to the real owners.
He mentioned that, for now, neither country's citizens are allowed to access the disputed lands. The land will only be returned and utilized after the issue is fully resolved.
When asked about the sincerity of their Indian counterparts during the meeting, the BGB officer remarked that there was no lack of sincerity.
He further added that the disputed border area primarily belonged to the river. Due to the continuous erosion of the Padma River and natural calamities, determining the correct boundary between the two countries had been complicated. Now, with joint efforts, there is hope for a resolution.
“The correct boundary will soon be established, but until the land is officially handed over, no one can use it, he added.