Kolkata, Jan 4 (IANS): India and Bangladesh, on Sunday, will exchange fishermen of both countries who were arrested after their fishing boats crossed the international coastal borders and entered the coastal area of the other country.
The exchange process will take place on the international waters of Bay of Bengal and the entire process will be supervised by the coastal guard agencies of both the countries.
In this process, 95 Indian fishermen will be returning to the country.
On the other hand, 90 Bangladeshi fishermen will be returning to that country.
A West Bengal government official said that most of the Indian fishermen who will be returning to the country are from South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be at Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Monday to supervise the administrative arrangement for the forthcoming Gangasagar Mela there. Therefore, an arrangement has been made so that the fishermen from West Bengal who will be returning to India on Sunday have the chance to interact with the Chief Minister on Monday," the state government official said.
In October last year, six Indian fishing trawlers, carrying these 95 fishermen, crossed the international coastal borderline and went to the Bangladesh coastal waters.
The fishermen were arrested as well.
Recently, the interim government in Bangladesh has announced the decision to release those 95 Indian fishermen and hand them over to the Indian authorities.
Similarly, the Indian government also took the decision to release 90 Bangladeshi fishermen detained within the Indian coastal waters at different times. Therefore, the official exchange of the fishermen from the two countries will take place on Sunday.
Last month, Mamata Banerjee accused the Union government of being reluctant about the future of fishermen from West Bengal who are currently languishing in prisons in neighbouring Bangladesh after they crossed the international coastal borders and went inside Bangladesh waters.