BALURGHAT: The department of Land and Land Reforms has initiated land acquisition in the unfenced areas of the India-Bangladesh border in Hili, South Dinajpur. The primary aim of the project is to prevent cross-border smuggling and illegal infiltration by fencing the open stretches of the international boundary.
South Dinajpur shares a 252-kilometre border with Bangladesh, of which approximately 39 kilometres fall under the Hili Police Station area. Alarmingly, nearly 23 kilometres of this stretch remain unfenced, making it a hotspot for illicit activities, including smuggling and unauthorised entry into Indian territory. Responding to a proposal by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Bengal government began the process of acquiring land along the border for installing barbed wire fencing. The Border Security Force (BSF), Central Public Works department (CPWD) and the Land and Land Reforms department are jointly involved in identifying the required plots.
Land acquisition began around two years ago in coordination with local landholders. The project was planned in three phases, with the first phase covering the villages of Ujal, Aptair, Dharanda, Basudevpur and Agra. A total of 4.95 acres was targeted for purchase in this phase. However, only 3.03 acres have been successfully acquired so far, with an additional 0.08 acres currently under negotiation. Acquisition of the remaining 1.92 acres is yet to begin, delaying subsequent phases. According to departmental sources, procedural delays have also arisen due to new government policies requiring Cabinet approvals and forest valuation, alongside time-consuming registration processes at the district level. Moreover, some landowners, allegedly influenced by unscrupulous elements, have shown reluctance to sell their land, further complicating the process. Hili’s Sub-Divisional Land and Land Reforms Officer, Dipesh Kumar Mallick, stated: “We have managed to acquire about 70 per cent of the targeted land in the first phase. Negotiations are ongoing with the remaining landowners, though some are untraceable or unwilling. We are working persistently to complete the acquisition process swiftly.”