Dhaka: In an effort to facilitate free
movement of Bangladeshis living in the enclaves located within
Indian territory, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has pledged
round-the-clock access to them with country's mainland.
Hasina said she would arrange for a 24-hour access for
the residents of the Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves to mainland
Bangladesh.
"As this piece of land is isolated from the mainland, we
have greater responsibility to the people of the area," Hasina
said while opening a free healthcare service of the
Bangabandhu Memorial Trust at Dahagram-Angorpota through video
conferencing from her official residence Ganobhaban yesterday.
She also promised undisrupted power supply for the 15,000
enclave residents despite the country's power scarcity.
The premier's comments come a day after India agreed to
allow Bangladesh to install underground power supply system to
a major enclave using an 178 metre long Indian corridor.
A state-run Power Development Board told PTI in Dhaka
that necessary infrastructures were already installed in the
enclave while the connection of the cable line would enable
them to supply the power instantly.
India in 1992 opened the corridor and initially the
residents there were allowed to use it for six hours a day for
movement to the mainland Bangladesh while later they could use
it for 12 hours everyday.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 21:22