District administrations across border areas have started coordination meetings with the Border Security Force (BSF) and land acquisition authorities to expedite the process of acquiring land for border fencing, in line with directions issued by Chief Minister.
A high-level meeting on the issue was held at the Malda district magistrate’s office on Thursday under the chairmanship of District Magistrate. Officials of the BSF, particularly from its land acquisition department, along with police and district administration representatives, attended the meeting.
According to officials, discussions focused on acquiring the required land in accordance with the alignment of the proposed border fencing in sensitive stretches along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Malda district.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Rajanvir Singh Kapur said the discussions were “positive and constructive” and expressed hope that long-pending land-related complications could be resolved within 45 days, following the state government’s directive.
He also said regular coordination meetings among the district administration, BSF and police would now be revived to strengthen border management and address issues related to security and trans-border crimes.
Administrative sources said that during the tenure of the previous state government, coordination meetings between district authorities and the BSF had become irregular and, in several cases, virtually discontinued. The issue of land acquisition for border fencing had remained a major hurdle, resulting in delays in completing fencing work in several vulnerable and sensitive areas along the border.
Security officials have repeatedly maintained that the absence of fencing in certain stretches contributed to continued incidents of illegal infiltration and cattle smuggling despite intensive BSF surveillance.