India, Bangladesh to redraw border

somnath

India and Bangladesh will redraw stretches of their border after several rivers that the two countries share have changed courses, washing away all signs of the divider, an Indian official said on Wednesday.
………

India and Bangladesh share a 4094-km border.
………
Indian officials say some 6,000 Bangladeshis, who come illegally in search of work, cross the border daily.
Bangladesh denies this allegation.
………
Most bizarre are the charlands-- islands that appear in the middle of a river when it recedes after the monsoon-- so fertile they are quickly occupied by farmers from either side.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/31bang.htm

somnath

Lets hope it is not becoming another line of control, it should be border. 6000 sounds huge!!!!

manojb

The normal rule for river boundaries is that the thalweg (the line of deepest soundings) controls. New islands which appear belong to the country on whose side they appear. Normally, islands in a river do not change countries even if the river changes course later.

somnath

I don’t think BSF or BDR know the rule. Or may be they are not ready to obey the rule . So shadow firing goes on.

crvlvr

apparently this changes after every monsoon as the rivers get flooded with silt. anyways, india is 90% of bangladesh's border, and bangladesh is probably 10% of India's.. bangladesh better be careful where they point their rifles..

Judi

We'll be in Kolkatta in late December/early January. is it possible to take a short trip to Bangladesh at all, and would this be very complicated?

somnath

Great news!!!! Welcome to Calcutta.
I do not know about visa and all but Dhaka / Chitagong (Bangladesh) is connected by flight. And there is a Kolkata-Dhaka bus service. So Calcutta to Bangladesh is a good option. Moreover, you can avail local train service, get down at Bangaon Junction and take a taxi to Entry post (Bangladesh border).
Mahmud can help you better, he had been to Kolkata from Bangladesh.

Flights:
http://www.calcuttaweb.com/airlines.shtml

- Somnath

manbil777

Unless you're seriously short of money don't try the BUS option -- AIR is a lot better way to get to Bangladesh. Plus not too much more expensive than BUS. BIMAN is the Govt. carrier in Bangladesh. Check with a travel agent in Calcutta for cheapest flight.

I don't believe TRAIN is a convenient option -- if at all.

mahmud

I protest. Direct bus journey is quite comfortable & cheap definitely more than 15/20 times.

So, it is wiser to travel by direct bus (BRTC or WBTC) to save money to some extent.

manbil777

OK Mahmud,

I agree. It is Cheaper and probably pretty safe too :-)

Just being a little paranoid...

BTW -- Can we post some details on the Bus Companies and Tarriff detail (Fare) from the Bangladesh side please.

mahmud

Being economy travel is being popular day by day (Kom Khorose beshi ghoro i.s expense less travel more), my suggestion is that to choice Bus journey to Dhaka which is comfortable. You will also able to observe the natural beauties of both of Bengal, If you come by bus.

There are 2 types of buses : Direct & indirect. Every day 2 buses run (Except Sunday) directly from Karunamoi International bus terminal at 7.00 am & 7.30 am. It takes 10 hours to reach Dhaka. Fare is only Rs. 1,000/- Per person (Up down) . The buses are fully air con & lunch served by them.

Other hand, there are some indirect bus services those start from Marcuis st., Dharmatola & Sudder St. The fare is Rs. 500 per person (One way)

You can also take air travel from Delhi/Mumbai. In that case you have to spend at least Rs. 18-20 thousand per person.

Judi

Thanks for all this brilliant information, guys! Hopefully a trip to Bangladesh will be added to our itinerary now.

mahmud

This is my heartiest pary tht BDR & BSF perform their duties with friendly & open mind. They should be friend of each others.

I saw in the day of Puja or Eid, BDR & BSF forget the international boundary rules & they attend the joy of otehrs with out any formalities. I appreciate this.