West Bengal transfers 32 acres to BSF for India-Bangladesh border fencing

The West Bengal government has handed around 32 acres to the BSF for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, a process that had been pending for several years, Panchayat Minister Dilip Ghosh said on Wednesday.

Briefing reporters after a meeting of the state cabinet, Ghosh said the government has also approved proposals for transfer of land to the BSF for setting up permanent border outposts and carrying out fencing work in several border districts.

"In keeping with our first cabinet meeting decision to hand over land to the BSF for fencing, the government has given 31.905 acres at nine places in the state along the border with Bangladesh," Ghosh said.

He said the land and land reforms department has placed before the cabinet a proposal for transfer of 1.53 acres in Malda, Murshidabad and Cooch Behar districts for setting up permanent border outposts at three locations along the international border.

Another proposal seeks transfer of 12.72 acres at 11 locations in Uttar Dinajpur district to facilitate fencing work along the border, he said.

The issue of land transfer for border fencing had remained contentious in the state, with the Calcutta High Court earlier criticising the previous state government for delays in handing over land to the BSF for securing the international border.

Ghosh said the cabinet also considered a proposal for transfer of 20 acres of government land at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district to the forest department, which would subsequently hand it over for the Sevak-Rangpo railway line project.