Bengal allocates land for BSF outpost in Nadia to boost border security

Kolkata: The state government has approved 0.9 acres of land to the Border Security Force (BSF) to set up an outpost at Karimpur in Nadia. The approval of land is significant with border security assuming the prime importance amidst ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh.

According to sources, the BSF has asked for land from the state government for setting up an outpost in the border area at Nadia for increasing surveillance and the Cabinet approved the same.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a distribution programme at Malda has recently emphasised that it is the BSF’s responsibility to protect the international boundary and urged locals in the district to avoid visiting the border areas if there are problems.

Sources in Nabanna said that Banerjee has directed the concerned officials to ensure that the process of handover of land is carried out smoothly and quickly.

Moreover, the state Cabinet on Monday approved the recruitment of 881 bus drivers and conductors who will be recruited on contractual basis through the agency. The nod for recruitment assumes significance in the backdrop of the state Transport department trying its best to increase the trips of buses in its fleet.

According to sources, the number of drivers to be engaged are 487 while 394 conductors will be roped in.

The trips of government buses in the city and its suburbs has gone up to around 4200. State Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty on Friday had held a meeting with the depot managers, traffic managers and other senior officials of the state corporations in presence of Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan for augmenting the bus trip frequencies in the city and introduction of new routes.

“A bus usually makes five to six (up and down) trips a day. With the recruitment of drivers and conductors, trips can be increased further,“ said a senior official of the department.

The Chief Minister in a meeting on January 4, had prodded the Transport department for not having enough buses on the road and instructed the minister to take to the road and assess the ground reality.

It is learnt that the Cabinet has given the nod for the constitution of two special task forces of the police – one at Siliguri police station and another at Nabadiganta Bhavan in Salt Lake.

The Cabinet further approved recruitment in 60 posts that include Home and Hill Affairs department, Judicial department and the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare department.