As many as 405 inhabitants in the 36 Indian enclaves inside
Panchagarh got registered with a joint survey team to become Indian
nationals in the last six days.
Of the enclaves, seven are in Panchagarh Sadar upazila, 23 in Boda upazila and six in Debiganj upazila, said Executive Magistrate Shahin Reza, in-charge of the control room set up at the Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office for the survey.
This correspondent talked to many of those enclave inhabitants recently.
Farmer Dijen Barman is one of them. The 38-year-old lives with his family in Grarati enclave inside Sadar upazila.
He said although he along with his wife and children was registered with the survey team to become Indians, his parents and other family members want Bangladeshi citizenship.
Vanu Ram, 35, a farmer of Shalbari, an Indian enclave inside Boda upazila, said he and three others of his family had a desire to become Indian national and they got their names enlisted accordingly.
"Our relatives are in India. So we want to become Indian nationals," he said.
Meanwhile, 14 people of a Hindu community who had earlier registered
with the survey team to be Indian nationals at Garati enclave now wish
to change their decision, said Shyamal Kumar Dey, an Indian supervisor
of the survey team.
"But we have no authority to delete their names from the list as they have already filled up the forms," he told this correspondent.
The case with Dulal Chandra, 22, of the same enclave, is similar to that of the 14.
"All our relatives live in Bangladesh and if we go there [India], it would be difficult for us to adjust there," Dulal said.
Sandip Mitra, assistant high commissioner, Assistant High Commission of India, Rajshahi, said as per the survey rules, no one can change their choice once it is registered with the survey team.
He made the comment while talking to reporters after a visit to the enclaves in the three upazilas.
”But, we will inform our higher authorities about the matter and they will decide on it,” he said.
According to the control room set up at Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office, as many as 1,109 children have registered their names with the survey team in the last six days to be included in the survey.
The children were born after the joint enclave census in 162 Indo-Bangla enclaves in July 2011, said Executive Magistrate Shahin Reza.
Besides, 445 more people were also enlisted as survey participants. They were married to the enclave inhabitants after that year.
The joint census found that 37,334 people live in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 14,215 people in Bangladeshi enclaves in India.
On Monday, Bangladesh and India launched the 10-day joint survey in the 162 enclaves to know the choice of citizenship of those living there.
CONFUSED OVER CHOICE
A number of inhabitants of Indian enclaves in Lalmonirhat said they were still confused over their choice of nationality, reports our district correspondent S Dilip Roy.
"We are still discussing our choice as some of our family members are wishing to become Indian nationals," said Sankoshi Rani Rabidas, 65, a widow at Indian enclave Bhitarkuti which is inside Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila.
"We have a lot of relatives in this country [Bangladesh]," she said, adding that she wants to be a Bangladeshi national.
The survey team officials working at different enclaves inside the district said there were many cases where family members were coming up with different choice of their citizenship.
Of the enclaves, seven are in Panchagarh Sadar upazila, 23 in Boda upazila and six in Debiganj upazila, said Executive Magistrate Shahin Reza, in-charge of the control room set up at the Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office for the survey.
This correspondent talked to many of those enclave inhabitants recently.
Farmer Dijen Barman is one of them. The 38-year-old lives with his family in Grarati enclave inside Sadar upazila.
He said although he along with his wife and children was registered with the survey team to become Indians, his parents and other family members want Bangladeshi citizenship.
Vanu Ram, 35, a farmer of Shalbari, an Indian enclave inside Boda upazila, said he and three others of his family had a desire to become Indian national and they got their names enlisted accordingly.
"Our relatives are in India. So we want to become Indian nationals," he said.
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"But we have no authority to delete their names from the list as they have already filled up the forms," he told this correspondent.
The case with Dulal Chandra, 22, of the same enclave, is similar to that of the 14.
"All our relatives live in Bangladesh and if we go there [India], it would be difficult for us to adjust there," Dulal said.
Sandip Mitra, assistant high commissioner, Assistant High Commission of India, Rajshahi, said as per the survey rules, no one can change their choice once it is registered with the survey team.
He made the comment while talking to reporters after a visit to the enclaves in the three upazilas.
”But, we will inform our higher authorities about the matter and they will decide on it,” he said.
According to the control room set up at Panchagarh deputy commissioner's office, as many as 1,109 children have registered their names with the survey team in the last six days to be included in the survey.
The children were born after the joint enclave census in 162 Indo-Bangla enclaves in July 2011, said Executive Magistrate Shahin Reza.
Besides, 445 more people were also enlisted as survey participants. They were married to the enclave inhabitants after that year.
The joint census found that 37,334 people live in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 14,215 people in Bangladeshi enclaves in India.
On Monday, Bangladesh and India launched the 10-day joint survey in the 162 enclaves to know the choice of citizenship of those living there.
CONFUSED OVER CHOICE
A number of inhabitants of Indian enclaves in Lalmonirhat said they were still confused over their choice of nationality, reports our district correspondent S Dilip Roy.
"We are still discussing our choice as some of our family members are wishing to become Indian nationals," said Sankoshi Rani Rabidas, 65, a widow at Indian enclave Bhitarkuti which is inside Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila.
"We have a lot of relatives in this country [Bangladesh]," she said, adding that she wants to be a Bangladeshi national.
The survey team officials working at different enclaves inside the district said there were many cases where family members were coming up with different choice of their citizenship.
