Kolkata: The West Bengal government has handed over 142.79 acres of land to the BSF for setting up outposts and barbed-wire fencing infrastructure along the India-Bangladesh border, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday.
The handover is part of the BJP government’s decision, taken at its first cabinet meeting on May 11, to transfer 600 acres of land within 45 days for border fencing and related infrastructure projects.
“Govt of WB has initiated intensified measures to strengthen border security by facilitating construction of BSF outposts and barbed-wire fencing, further enhancing security in the border areas. Additional land has now been handed over to BSF, taking the total tally to 142.79 acres,” the chief minister said in a social media post.
The Chief Minister also shared district-wise details of the land handed over to the BSF. According to the break-up, land has been handed over in the border districts of Cooch Behar (22.95 acres), Jalpaiguri (35.165 acres), Darjeeling (8.815 acres), North Dinajpur (2.84 acres), South Dinajpur (20.1701 acres), Malda (10.90 acres), Murshidabad (38.805 acres), Nadia (0.55 acres), and North 24 Parganas (2.6 acres).
“In accordance with the decision taken during the first Cabinet meeting of the state government, this initiative has emerged as a significant milestone in progressing towards the target of handing over 500 acres of land within 45 days,” the post added.
The Chief Minister had earlier said that land would be handed over to the BSF within 45 days for fencing work along the state’s borders. He had alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government withheld land to encourage infiltration.
It may be recalled that a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, in April imposed a fine on the Joint Director of the state Land and Land Reforms Department.
The order came while hearing a plea alleging that although the Central government had paid the land acquisition amount, the land had not been handed over for the construction of barbed-wire fencing along the India-Bangladesh border.
The High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the state government’s report and imposed a personal fine of Rs 25,000 on the Joint Director of the Land and Land Reforms Department.
