West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced the transfer of land to the Border Security Force for fencing a 27-km stretch along the Bangladesh border, marking one of the first major security decisions of the new Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state.
Adhikari said the state was ready to hand over land not only for border fencing but also for a few Border Outposts and related BSF infrastructure. The announcement was made in Kolkata in the presence of senior BSF officers, including Director General Praveen Kumar, and state officials at Nabanna, the administrative headquarters.
The handover covers about 75 acres, including land acquired through direct purchase and vested land already available with the state. Chief Secretary Manoj Agrawal formally completed the transfer process for the identified stretch, allowing the BSF and the Union home ministry to move ahead with fencing work that had been delayed by administrative and land-acquisition hurdles.
Adhikari framed the move as a correction of policy after years of dispute between the Centre and the previous Trinamool Congress government over border infrastructure. He alleged that repeated requests from the Centre and the BSF for land had not been acted upon by the earlier administration, creating what he described as a dangerous situation for the security of both the state and the country.
“After a long time, BSF and the Government of India approached the state government to hand over the adequate land to complete the fencing on the Indo-Bangladesh border. But the earlier state government did not respond and denied,” Adhikari said. He added that the new administration would cooperate with border agencies to complete pending work.
The decision follows the first cabinet meeting of the new government, where border fencing was listed among priority actions. The administration had said land required by the BSF for unfinished stretches would be transferred within 45 days. The latest handover indicates an attempt to accelerate that timetable and signal close coordination with central security agencies.
West Bengal shares a 2,216.7-km boundary with Bangladesh, the longest stretch among the five states bordering that country. More than 1,647 km has already been fenced, while large segments remain unfinished because of riverine terrain, habitations close to the zero line, legal issues and delays in land transfer. A sizeable portion is considered feasible for fencing and other infrastructure, making state cooperation crucial.
The BSF has long maintained that gaps in fencing complicate surveillance, anti-smuggling operations and checks on unauthorised crossings. Border districts such as North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda and Cooch Behar have strategic importance because of their geography, dense settlements and cross-border movement patterns. Several stretches also involve river channels and agricultural land, requiring detailed coordination among local authorities, landowners and security agencies.
The political significance of the move is equally clear. The BJP’s campaign in West Bengal placed heavy emphasis on border security, citizenship law implementation, alleged illegal migration and tighter policing of the frontier. By prioritising the land transfer immediately after assuming office, Adhikari has sought to present his government as aligned with the Centre’s security agenda.
The Trinamool Congress has previously argued that border management should not be used to target communities or inflame political tensions in sensitive districts. It has also maintained that land acquisition for security projects must consider local livelihoods and legal procedures. That debate is likely to continue as the new government expands fencing and related infrastructure works.
The issue had also drawn judicial scrutiny. Litigation over unfinished fencing highlighted delays in transferring acquired land to the BSF, with the Calcutta High Court pressing authorities to remove administrative bottlenecks. The court’s intervention added pressure on the state to clarify how much land had been acquired, how much had been handed over, and where work remained blocked.
Adhikari has paired the land-transfer decision with sharper language on infiltration and enforcement. He has said migrants not covered by legal protections under the Citizenship Amendment Act would face detention and deportation procedures, a position that is expected to intensify political contestation in border districts.
