AGDH is a loosely knit network of nine villages. The majority of its residents live in thatched houses, while some of the more wealthy residents side in tin-roofed and sometimes even brick walled, homes. Covering approximately 4,600 acres, AGDH is largely fertile farmland. The majority of the residents make a living through small-scale agriculture, sharecropping, and forms of day labor. Primary crops AGDH include wheat, corn, rice, peanuts, tobacco, potatoes and various other vegetables. Physically, it both resembles many other enclaves and, indeed, villages in Lalmonirhat, one of the most impoverished districts in Bangladesh. However, AGDH is complex even within the scope of the already Byzantine history of The enclaves because of a long struggle over the opening of the Tin Bigha Corridor,  land bridge through Indian territory connecting AGDH to the Bangladeshi  mainland This Corridor, originally promised to Bangladesh by India in the 1974 Indira-Mujib Accords, was the focus of prolonged political debate by both countries, and the subject of fierce and Occasionally violent political action by residents of both AGDH and the surrounding Mekhliganj Thana in India. Since 1992 the Tin Bigha Corridor has been opened and maintained by Indies Border Security Force (BSF); and the BSF, the area, and its inhabitants are in turn monitored by Bangladeshi border security force, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).While initially opened for only one hour a day, the Corridor currently
Open from 6 am to 6 pm(Indian time)
Bangladesh has failed to fulfill its constitutional Commitments Towards its people living in the enclaves of Angorpota Dhogram ..If we want to see our constitution Article 36, “subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by the in the public interest , every Citizens Shall have the right to move freely throughout the Bangladesh ,Reside and settle in any place therein and to leave and re-enter” , the Picture is totally different in this enclaves . Two large Bangladeshi enclaves joined together as a Union Parishad within Upazila Patgram in the Lalmonirhat district of Banglades
After crossing the corridor, when I entered the AGDG enclaves I discovered that local Bangladeshis are faced Multidimensional problems. When I spoke to the local Bangladeshis they expressed their untold stories. They said the Bangladeshi nationals living the two enclaves do not have 24 hours access through the corridor, before 1992 the situation was more measurable At this moment corridor is opened is only 12 hours 6.30 AM to 6.30 pm out of 24 hours. New Dhili does not allow them beyond 12 hours through the corridor even if any medical emergency arise. (Recently because of initiative of Bangladesh government BSF allow the emergency patients but the process is opening the corridor is very time consuming as a result sometimes patients are died or recover.
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It is very important to note here that although 1974 agreement was signed regarding the Tin Begha corridor between Bangladesh and India .But India opened this corridor on July 1992 only for 2 hours in a day. After 1994 India opened this corridor 6 hours in a day the process was that 1 hour opened and 1 hour closed. How was the cruel Behavior! At the moment Corridor is opened only 12 hours as I mention above.
As the Accords has it: "India will retain the southern half of South Berubari Union No.12 … in exchange Bangladesh will retain the Dahagram and Angarpota enclaves. India will lease in perpetuity to Bangladesh an area … to connect Dahagram with … Bangladesh."
Present condition of APDH Inhabitants:
The opening of the corridor was undoubtedly a positive step for AGDH members. The existence of the corridor means that residents can access markets, services, and resources in Patgram every day, which has provided a stable basis for agricultural trade and growth. As importantly, the corridor facilitates access to services inside of AGDH, including micro-credit and government aid initiatives. Further, the BDR has established camps in both the north and south of AGDH. Residents can bring border issues to the BDR, who can mediate with the BSF through Flag-meetings, often allowing for peaceful resolutions to tense situations.
In addition to this overall improvement of security and well-being for residents, the creation of the corridor has wrought a number of social changes as well. The most dramatic of these is an influx of new people. Following the opening of the corridor, the majority of Hindu residents in the enclave moved to India, creating a surfeit of cheap land. A number of people living on chars and erosion prone areas along the banks of the Jamuna purchased this land. These new residents, who the locals call Bhatiyas, now compose roughly 50 percent of the population. This has radically redrawn the political landscape of AGDH where, now, elections tend to be fought not along party lines, but between "original" inhabitants and the newcomers.
Beyond these changes, the corridor has served to formalize the border. While many residents used to conduct business in Mekhliganj haats, less than one km from the northern end of AGDH, now they report that going to India is no longer possible. All business is conducted in Patgram. This proves a significant difficulty for some residents, particularly those who live in Angarpota, situated in the north of the enclave. These residents are forced to travel 12 km south to the Tin Bigha, before reversing direction and traveling another 12 km north-east to Patgram.
Further, the fact that the corridor is under sovereign control of the BSF means that residents themselves do not control what goes into, and out of, the enclave. Last September, the BSF implemented a "cattle ceiling" to combat what they claimed was illegal smuggling of cattle to the slaughter markets in Patgram byway of AGDH. This ceiling limits the number of cattle that can be taken to market on any given haat day to 10, a ludicrously small number for an impoverished village of 16,000. Many AGDH residents posses no significant assets other than their cattle, and the ceiling, which is monitored and governed by the local UP Council, makes raising money for everything from land purchases to medical emergencies next to impossible.
The most pressing issues facing residents access to Bangladeshi mainland during evening hours. For most medical procedures, residents must make the journey to Patgram. Thisis particularly problematic in medical emergencies that take place during the night when the corridor is closed.
A BDR officer in charge of handling frequent local negotiations with the BSF, highlighted this issue. "Yesterday morning, just after the morning prayer [before dawn], my sentry knocked at my door to inform me that there was a critical patient with a baby who needed to go to Patgram. I ordered two jawans to take her up to Tin Bigha and make a request to the BSF. They allowed her to pass. These sorts of necessities frequently occur and we have to play our part. The problem happens during the night. If it is 9 p.m. or more, the BSF has many formalities … and these processes swallow one hour or more of time, which is critical for a patient or someone in medical emergency or labor pain. They dilly-dally and sometimes they just don't allow. They don't categorically deny passage because they may be condemned for violating international law. But they pretend to talk to other authorities, and after some time come out suggesting: "Our company commander isn't available now, so we can't allow you."
Now let us see that what sorts of problem enclave dwellers are facing:
Restricted Movements:
As we mentioned earlier that the enclave dwellers can move to and from the mainland in between a particular period of time, which is actually a barrier to their free movements. This barrier gives birth of numerous problems
During our visit, we also came to know that if anybody becomes sick and needs to be admitted in the Hospital in Patgram after dusk, they have to report in the Bangladesh Riffles (BDR) camp of Dahagram first. And then BDR authority contacts with Border Security Force (BSF) to open the gate of the corridor. But if BSF wishes they open the gate and if do not, the patient has to struggle for his life till dusk.
Zero Medical Facilities:
Dahagram Government Hospital‟ which was formally started in 1995 is the only hospital in the Dahagram-Angorpota Enclaves. This ten-bed hospital was built at the cost of 12 crore taka and started its journey with three doctors and later it became four.31 But, the fact is that, at present the inhabitants are not getting any kind of medical assistance from the hospital.
Trade Barriers:
For selling paddy or buying commodities, one has to walk to the corridor to Patgram. Transport is almost unlikely. BSF does not allow passing more than ten cows through the corridor from the whole enclaves to Patgram in the „Hat Bars. Lack of better transportation, it is very tough for the dwellers to carry their goods.
Educational Problems:
Through conversations with the local teachers and students, we came to know that the number of primary schools and high school are inadequate compared to the number of the students and their conditions are also vulnerable.
The numbers of teachers are also very much inadequate. In fact, there is no college. Once the government provided scholarship to the poor and meritorious students which are stopped now. All these reasons are declining interests of the students towards education.
Unnecessary Harassments:
Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves are separated from Indian land by only some scattered boundary pillars. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to identify that which are enclaves‟ land and which are India”s. That is why; often the dwellers enter into Indian lands unconsciously. But BSF does not allow such mistakes and sometime they fire from their observation posts if any dweller enters into Indian land by mistake.
Sometime it becomes easy for the smugglers to enter into Dahagram-Angorpota and halt there to save themselves from the security forces because of lack of adequate BDR camps & observation towers inside the enclaves.
■ River Bank Erosion:
River bank erosion is a common problem of our country and Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves are not exceptions regarding this case. It is informed by the local farmers of the enclaves that, because of the erosion, about 40% of their cultivable lands have gone under the bed of Tista River. Only about 1 km of river bank of Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves adjacent to the river Tista is protected by CC blocks which are inadequate. While visiting Taste River inside the enclaves, we saw that India has already captured a large portion of land areas which has risen out of the bed of Tista on their side.
On the other hand, large area of lands is rising out of the bed of Tista on Indias side. Since, in the river the border is not properly demarked, India can naturally acquire the whole of the enclaves if this erosion continues. Until now, no such effective initiatives have been taken by either Bangladesh or India to demark the boundary of the enclaves throughout Tista River.
■ Economic Miseries:
Most of the enclaves‟ people are very much poor. There is lack of scope for working inside the enclaves. On the other hand, for the restrictions on the
Movement through the corridor, they do not work outside the enclaves properly. In fact, they usually do not receive adequate relief from the government in the times of emergency. Moreover, during the period of „Monga‟ they suffer from severe economic hurdle movement through the corridor, they do not work outside the enclaves properly. In fact, they usually do not receive adequate relief from the government in the times of emergency. Moreover, during the period of „Monga‟ they suffer from severe economic hurdle Monga is seasonal food insecurity in ecologically vulnerable and economically weak parts of north-western Bangladesh, primarily caused by an employment and income deficit before ‘aman’ is harvested.
What they want?
• Corridor must be opened in 24 hours.
• Although bed hospitals is situated here but it not operated well because of lack of specialist Doctors and others facilities and it should be open 24 hours both indoor and outdoor services.
• BSF does not allow passing more than ten cows through the corridor from the whole enclaves to Pat gram in the „Hat Bars. it must be increased in number.
• River bank erosion is a common problem of our country and Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves are not exceptions regarding this case. So inhabitants demand that, government should take necessary steps .regarding the issue.
• One High school has there, but it should be nationalized. At least one Collage must be stablished.Primary school should be number in 10.
• Electricity system should be expanding.
• Government should create special coda for the inhabitants because of improving their life style.
• Mobile tower should be built.
• At least one bank branch must be established.
• BGB camps should be increased.
• Social safety services should be increased such as V.G.F, V.G.D
From the above discussion we see that the socio-economic conditions of the inhabitants of the Dahagram-Angorpota enclaves are helpless. Their fundamental rights are being violated in every part of their lives. The politics is going on between India and Bangladesh but these innocent peoples are suffering. Dahagram-Angorpota is a part of Bangladesh. So the inhabitants of these enclaves should enjoy the same self-determination as exist elsewhere in Bangladesh. They should not feel themselves as isolated, unsecured, imprisoned or deprived.
