Officers survey land near Bangladesh border for fencing after cabinet clearance
Telegraph | 12 May 2026
Hours after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the commencement of the process for handing over land to the BSF to complete fencing along unfenced stretches of the India-Bangladesh border, district administrations across border-sharing districts swung into action on Monday and began ground-level assessment in coordination with BSF authorities.
The decision, cleared at the first cabinet meeting of the newly formed BJP government in Bengal, marked the implementation of one of the party’s key election promises aimed at curbing illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Adhikari said the transfer of land required for border fencing would be completed within 45 days.
“In our very first cabinet meeting today, we decided to transfer the land to the BSF. The process begins today and will be completed within the next 45 days,” he said.
Soon after the announcement, Basirhat police district superintendent of police Alaknanda Bhowal, accompanied by senior BSF officers, carried out a physical inspection of several vulnerable stretches along the border from Swarupnagar to Samsernagar in Hingalganj.
BSF officers said the entire stretch from Swarupnagar to Samsernagar spans around 96 km, of which nearly 46km is riverine terrain along the Ichhamati river, while the remaining 50km constitutes the land border. Of this, nearly 20km still remains unfenced.
“Apart from the difficult riverine stretch, around 20 km of the land border remains unfenced. These areas are highly vulnerable and are always kept under strong surveillance,” a BSF officer said.
Officials said the Basirhat SP reviewed the ground situation in the vulnerable pockets and later held discussions with BSF and police personnel regarding the immediate land requirement for fencing work.
“Actual requirement of land was discussed today with the BSF officials. A report on the requirement will be submitted to the higher authorities to initiate the process of handing over land,” a senior officer of the Basirhat police district said.
Similar exercises were also initiated in Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda and other border districts on Monday, although neither the district administrations nor the BSF officially commented on the developments.
Bengal shares a 2,216.7km border with Bangladesh.
The BJP has repeatedly alleged that delays in handing over land by the previous Trinamool Congress government slowed down the fencing process along the international border. The Trinamool Congress, however, maintained that concerns related to land acquisition and the livelihood of border residents had to be addressed before fencing work could proceed.
BSF sources said the Union home ministry had already approved a major initiative to accelerate the installation of a new-generation border fencing system along the India-Bangladesh border. The project envisages the replacement of conventional barbed-wire barriers with a 12-foot-high “unclimbable” and “uncuttable” steel mesh fence designed by the central public works department.
The proposed “single-row smart fencing” system will integrate surveillance cameras, sensors and, in selected stretches, Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) technology for real-time monitoring and intrusion detection.
Senior BSF officers said the project includes the conversion of existing fencing into the new smart design in several sensitive stretches, particularly in West Bengal, to strengthen efforts against infiltration and cross-border smuggling.