The new West Bengal government has approved the Centre’s pending land requirements in border districts to strengthen security along the India-Bangladesh border.
The decision comes weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Suvendu Adhikari replaced Mamata Banerjee and her All India Trinamool Congress government.
According to sources, the state cabinet has decided to release more than 600 acres of land within a month to strengthen fencing along West Bengal’s 2,200-km border with Bangladesh. Around 1,600 km of the border is already fenced.
The previous Trinamool Congress government had faced allegations of repeatedly refusing to allocate land to central forces, especially the Border Security Force, which guards the India-Bangladesh border.
The BJP had promised in its election manifesto to take immediate steps against illegal immigration, claiming the issue had increased under the previous government due to weak state action.
Sources said the state government has already approved 120 acres of land near the strategic Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck area, in North Bengal. The corridor is India’s only land connection to the Northeast.
The decision will formally take effect after an agreement is signed between the BSF Director General and the state government in the coming weeks.
The Bengal government has also granted in-principle approval to transfer seven stretches of national highways from the state Public Works Department to the National Highways Authority of India and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
A government notification said the proposals had remained pending for nearly a year despite repeated requests from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The clearance is expected to improve connectivity across North Bengal and strengthen links with Sikkim, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.