When politicians fight over territorial rights and boundaries, the rights of people living on the border can be violated. The Teen Bigha corridor on the India-Bangladesh border is a case in point. This strip of land had been a long standing source of conflict. It took the people living in the Bangladesh enclave of Dahagram-Angarpata 45 years to be able to cross Teen Bigha legally to get to the other side of the country. Nineteen years after the corridor was partially opened to the people, the governments of India and Bangladesh have offered the promise of a 24 hour access to it. One hopes the promise will be kept and free passage through the corridor will boost the local economy and the people there will enjoy freedom and their rights. The twists and turns in the talks on the corridor had long created hurdles in India-Bangladesh relations and impacted on Bangladesh people.
The timing of the resolution of the crisis has been judicious. India’s External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna visited Dhaka recently. The stage has been set for Sonia Gandhi’s forthcoming visit. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will follow thereafter. The goodwill generated by the Teen Bigha accord should ease other tensions. Delhi should find it easier to relax tariff and non-tariff barriers between India and Bangladesh and it should facilitate transit of goods through Bangladesh. That should strengthen the latter’s infrastructure and help it earn more taxes and revenues. The security and economic interests of the two countries should always be kept in mind.