Bengal hands over 75 acres to BSF for fencing border

KOLKATA: Bengal govt on Wednesday handed over an initial 75 acres to BSF to cover fencing of 27 km of international border between India and Bangladesh. CM Suvendu Adhikari, who earlier promised to start the land handover process after the BJP govt assumed office, said that completion of the critical, long-pending fencing along the India-Bangladesh border would be crucial to national security. Of the land parcel, 43 acres were directly purchased, while 32 acres were vested land.

Present with BSF DG Praveen Kumar at Nabanna, Adhikari said, "BSF had been asking for the land for a long time, but it was denied earlier by the previous govt. Our safety was at stake for that. The new govt is now ready and land was transferred to BSF. This includes land for border outposts and infrastructure development land for BSF."

"It will help to stop anti-national activities, including love jihad and land jihad along with forced conversions. Anti-socials indulging in atrocities against women and children were on the rise and most of these criminals were Bangladeshi infiltrators," Adhikari added.

While India shares over 4,000 km of border with Bangladesh, 2,200 km run through Bengal. As much as 1,600 km is fenced. "The problem is with the 600 km which we could not fence so far," Adhikari said.

"The previous govt could have provided land for fencing 555 km. But even after Centre's repeated requests, because of their appeasement policy and vote-bank politics, the previous disposition did not give land to BSF," the CM added.

Saying that the MHA, under Rajnath Singh and then under Amit Shah, had made repeated requests for the land parcel, Adhikari said, "During a meeting at Nabanna, Amit Shahji had even personally requested the then CM for land. Union home secretary Govind Mohan held five to six meetings with Bengal officials, but the outcome was zero. For the handover, state govt acquired private land. BSF and Centre are giving funds."

The CM said that he had asked the district magistrates of border districts to maintain regular coordination with BSF and other central agencies, which did not take place in the past couple of years though it is mandatory for border districts. "In most of the border areas, such coordination meetings have started in the past week."

"BSF had been seekingland 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," Kumar said.