Bengal's borders with Bangladesh getting secured with prompt land availability for barbed fencing now: BJP
Kolkata, July 14
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday claimed that India's international borders with Bangladesh in West Bengal have started getting more secured lately with the new state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ensuring prompt land availability for the Border Security Force for erection of barbed fencing at the borders.
BJP's national spokesman Pradeep Bhandari had issued a social media statement detailing the land handover done by Chief Minister Adhikari-led state government during the two-and-a-half months.
In the statement, which had been shared by the Chief Minister Adhikari on his own social media account, it had been claimed that a total of 1,024.75 acres of land has been transferred to the BSF for fencing across 172.6 km of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.
District-wise in West Bengal, Murshidabad had witnessed the maximum land handover at 337 for fencing across 45.4 km, followed by North 24 Parganas at 241.03 acres for 42.07 km of fencing and Malda at 176.78 acres for 20.15 km of fencing.
The fourth district in terms of quantum of land handover is Cooch Behar at 135.33 acres for 39.39 km of fencing, followed by Nadia at 95.11 acres for 14.79 km of fencing, and South Dinajpur at 26.41 acres for 7.75 km of fencing.
In North Dinajpur district, 6.61 acres of land have been handed over to the border guard organisation for 1.28 km of fencing, followed by Darjeeling at 4.31 acres for 1.45 km of fencing, and 2.17 acres in Jalpaiguri for 0.31 km of fencing.
"BIG BOOST TO BORDER SECURITY! Under PM Narendra Modi Ji (@narendramodiji) and leadership & CM Suvendu Adhikari Da (@SuvenduWB), West Bengal is securing India's borders. 1,024.75 acres transferred to the BSF for fencing across 172.6 km of the India-Bangladesh border. National Security First," the social media statement issued by Bhandari said, which was subsequently shared by CM Adhikari.
Since the new BJP-ruled state government under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari came to power, there had been prompt handover of land to the BSF, an issue which was grossly ignored during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.
The new BJP-led state government has a policy of "direct land purchase" by the state administration from the land-owners, hand over that land to the BSF and get the money reimbursed from the Union government.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but why only 172 km out of 2,216 km border in Bengal? Still a long way to go. Let's not get carried away by announcements. Need consistent work across all districts, not just photo-ops in Murshidabad and Nadia.
As someone from North 24 Parganas, this is reassuring. Infiltration and smuggling have been major issues for decades. Fencing won't solve everything but it's a critical first step. Just hope the land acquisition is fair to farmers and doesn't disrupt livelihoods.
The previous Mamata government was deliberately stalling border security for vote-bank politics. This is long overdue. Under PM Modi and now CM Adhikari, national security is finally getting priority over petty politics. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
Mixed feelings on this. Yes, security is important, but fencing also divides communities. The India-Bangladesh border has families split across both sides. Hope the government ensures humanitarian protocols - visa access, trade routes, and cultural ties aren't completely severed.
The data is impressive - 1,024 acres in just 2.5 months vs years of lethargy under TMC. But let's be honest, fencing alone won't stop determined infiltrators. Need better surveillance, more BSF personnel, and stronger intelligence networks. Still, good start.
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