The West Bengal government on Wednesday handed over an initial 75 acres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) to facilitate the fencing of 27 kilometers of the international border between India and Bangladesh. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who had earlier pledged to initiate the land handover process after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government assumed office, emphasized that the completion of this long-pending fencing project is crucial for national security.
Land Parcel Details
Of the total land parcel, 43 acres were directly purchased by the state government, while 32 acres were vested land. Present at the handover ceremony at Nabanna alongside BSF Director General Praveen Kumar, Adhikari stated, "The BSF had been requesting this land for a long time, but it was denied earlier by the previous government. Our safety was at stake because of that. The new government is now ready, and land has been transferred to the BSF. This includes land for border outposts and infrastructure development."
Security Concerns
Adhikari further noted that the fencing would help curb anti-national activities, including what he termed "love jihad" and "land jihad," as well as forced conversions. He added, "Anti-social elements indulging in atrocities against women and children were on the rise, and most of these criminals were Bangladeshi infiltrators."
Border Fencing Status
India shares over 4,000 kilometers of border with Bangladesh, of which 2,200 kilometers run through West Bengal. Currently, 1,600 kilometers of this border is fenced. "The problem lies with the 600 kilometers that we could not fence so far," Adhikari said. He criticized the previous government for not providing land for fencing 555 kilometers, despite repeated requests from the Centre, attributing this to their "appeasement policy and vote-bank politics."
Previous Efforts
The Chief Minister recalled that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), under both Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, had made repeated requests for the land. "During a meeting at Nabanna, Amit Shah ji had even personally requested the then Chief Minister for land. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held five to six meetings with Bengal officials, but the outcome was zero," Adhikari said. He noted that for the handover, the state government acquired private land, with funds provided by the BSF and the Centre.
Coordination Measures
Adhikari stated that he has instructed district magistrates of border districts to maintain regular coordination with the BSF and other central agencies, a practice that had not been followed in the past couple of years, despite being mandatory for border districts. "In most of the border areas, such coordination meetings have started in the past week," he added.
BSF DG's Remarks
BSF Director General Praveen Kumar expressed gratitude for the land transfer, saying, "The BSF had been seeking land for a long time, and now this transfer will help in fencing and setting up border outposts. It will even help guard the Sundarbans better and ensure enhanced border security."
