Lok Sabha passes LBA bill

FE Report | Published: May 08, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The India's Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, finally passed the long-pending Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh Thursday entailing exchange of enclaves between the two countries.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2013, was unanimously passed by the lower house, with 331 votes in favour and zero against it.
The bill was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha (upper house) Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called Sheikh Hasina to break the news that Indian parliament's lower house has passed the LBA.
The telephone call came no sooner had the Lok Sabha cleared the way for swap of enclaves, her Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri said.
The passage of the bill in Lok Sabha Thursday will allow implementation of the agreement that includes exchange of territories in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.
Bangladesh welcomed passage of the Bill by Indian parliament to settle the decades-old boundary dispute. The passage of the Bill was "most welcome," said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam after the bills was passed by the India's Upper House.
"The bill was passed as a continuation of our efforts. I thank members of both Rajya Sabha and Lok sabha," said the state minister while talking to The Financial Express. "We will now go ahead and decide our next decisions in consultation with India," he added.
With ratification of the bill, sorrows of about 52,000 residents of enclaves, inside both India and Bangladesh, will come to an end very soon. Under the land boundary pact, India and Bangladesh will exchange 162 enclaves which are under each other's adverse possession. But the bill will also require nod by legislatures of West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.
India will transfer 111 enclaves with 17,158 acres of land and a population of 37,369. The enclaves are spread across four districts in Bangladesh -- 12 in Kurigram, 59 in Lalmonirhat, four in Nilphamari and 36 in Panchagarh.
The 51 Bangladeshi enclaves, all located in Cooch Behar of West Bengal, have 7,110 acres of land and population of 14,215. Once the exchange is done, Bangladesh will have a net gain of around 10,000 acres of land.
UNB adds, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday described the passing of the long-pending LBA with Bangladesh by Indian Rajya Sabha as Bangladesh's huge diplomatic success and thanked all those involved in the process.
"The much-awaited LBA Bill was passed in (Indian) Rajya Sabha unanimously on Wednesday. I think it's a huge diplomatic success for us (Bangladesh and the current government) and I extend my sincere thanks to all those involved in the process," she said.
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