Summary:
The West Bengal Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill to give land rights to enclave dwellers in north Bengal, ending an era of uncertain future for the people residing in those enclaves. Moved by Minister of State for Land and Land Reforms Chandrima Bhattacharya, the West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2018, was passed in the House unopposed. With the exchange of enclaves, following an agreement between the two countries with the consent of West Bengal, the enclave dwellers deserve their rights as the citizens of India, she said. Speaking in support of the Bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said this “historic Bill” would help the enclave dwellers to get full-fledged status as citizens of India, along with all civic amenities and citizenship rights. Plot-to-plot verification has already been undertaken to ascertain the ownership status of the land to the dwellers, who now reside on khas land..