Efforts accelerated to acquire land for border fencing

BALURGHAT: The Land and Land Reforms department has intensified efforts to acquire land for erecting barbed wire fencing along the open stretches of the India-Bangladesh border in Hili, South Dinajpur. Following directives from the state Secretariat, Nabanna, the department has initiated the process of identifying and purchasing land, aiming to expedite the entire procedure.

The department’s renewed push signals a stronger focus on national security and better regulation of cross-border movement in this sensitive region. According to administrative sources, the acquisition of 10 acres of land is already underway. Steps are also being taken to complete the acquisition of the remaining required land as quickly as possible. The India-Bangladesh border in South Dinajpur spans approximately 252 kilometre, with nearly 39 kilometre falling under the jurisdiction of Hili Police Station. Of this, about 23 kilometre remain unfenced and are considered open and vulnerable.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had decided back in 2021 to install barbed wire fencing along the open border to enhance national security. Following that decision, joint efforts by the Border Security Force (BSF), the Land and Land Reforms department and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) were initiated to identify suitable land. The land department also started contacting local landowners for the acquisition process. In Hili, the fencing project was divided into three phases. However, complaints surfaced earlier about delays during the initial phase of land acquisition but with recent strains in bilateral diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh and rising tensions along the border, the authorities have decided to speed up the process of fencing the open border stretches.

Confirming the developments, Dipesh Kumar Mallick, the Hili Sub-Divisional Land and Land Reforms Officer, said: “As per the directives from higher authorities, the land acquisition process for erecting border fencing is ongoing.

We are working with urgency to complete the process swiftly. Once completed, it will significantly enhance the security of the India-Bangladesh border region.”