The West Bengal government has handed over 1,024.75 acres of land across nine districts to the Border Security Force (BSF) to facilitate fencing along 172.6 km of the India-Bangladesh border, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday (July 14). The move, he said, is meant to remove a key bottleneck in the long-delayed border fencing work and strengthen national security.

In a detailed post on X, CM Suvendu Adhikari said the government had expedited the land transfer process to the BSF for ‘essential fencing’ and that the land had now been formally handed over.

“Ensuring national security and strengthening our borders is the top priority for our govt,” he wrote, adding that the state remained committed to building a safer and more secure environment for citizens.

“As of today, a total of 1,024.75 acres of land spanning across 172.6 kms has been formally handed over for this purpose. We remain steadfast in our resolve to complete these projects to ensure a safer and more secure environment for our Citizens,” CM Adhikari added.

The state government officials said the land handover was intended to help the BSF speed up construction in stretches where work had been delayed because land was not available. The administration’s position is that the transfer clears the way for fencing activity in vulnerable border pockets.

Check the district-wise details here:

Murshidabad has received the largest land transfer, with 337 acres supporting fencing across 45.4 km. North 24 Parganas follows with 241.03 acres for 42.07 km, while Cooch Behar has contributed 135.33 acres for 39.39 km.

The remaining transfers include Malda with 176.78 acres for 20.15 km, Nadia with 95.11 acres for 14.79 km, Dakshin Dinajpur with 26.41 acres for 7.75 km, Darjeeling with 4.31 acres for 1.45 km, Uttar Dinajpur with 6.61 acres for 1.28 km and Jalpaiguri with 2.17 acres for 0.31 km. Together, these add up to the stated 172.6 km and 1,024.75 acres.

  • Murshidabad-45.4 kms
  • North 24 Parganas-42.07 kms
  • Cooch Behar-39.39 kms
  • Malda-20.15 kms
  • Nadia-14.79 kms
  • Dakshin Dinajpur-7.75 kms
  • Darjeeling-1.45 kms
  • Uttar Dinajpur-1.38 kms
  • Jalpaiguri-0.31 kms

Strengthening the fence: Fast-tracked land transfers, border security drive and anti‑migration measures

West Bengal shares a 2,217-km border with Bangladesh, and roughly 1,600 km is already fenced. The centre has alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government did not provide land to the BSF in time for fencing work, while illegal migration from Bangladesh has long remained a political and security concern in Bengal.

The BJP government had earlier decided in its first cabinet meeting that all pending land transfers needed for border fencing would be completed within 45 days to remove administrative delays. The state also began a drive to identify undocumented foreign nationals and set up holding centres, according to official positioning cited in reports.

The accelerated land handovers form part of a broader, multi-pronged border security strategy that combines physical barriers with administrative and technological measures. The state govt officials say the fencing programme will be coordinated with enhanced surveillance — more BSF outposts, upgraded floodlights, CCTV grids and increased riverine patrols in vulnerable stretches — while state agencies will fast-track documentation drives using biometric verification and inter-agency data-sharing to identify and detain undocumented foreign nationals.

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Administrative steps include clearer land-title verification protocols, one-window clearance for transfers and monetary compensation or rehabilitation packages for affected landowners to prevent local disputes from stalling construction. Together, these measures aim to close remaining gaps along the 2,217-km frontier, speed up completion of the roughly 600 km still unfenced, and reduce cross-border smuggling and illegal migration without disrupting legitimate cross-border trade and local livelihoods.

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BSF review in Sundarbans

Director General (DG) of the BSF Praveen Kumar visited coastal areas along the Indo-Bangladesh boundary in the deep Sundarbans delta and nearby regions on Tuesday, reviewing operational preparedness, the border security grid and ongoing fencing works. He also held outreach meetings with local residents and government officials.

Kumar later chaired a high-level review meeting with stakeholders on the fencing project and border management, with emphasis on better inter-agency coordination for a stronger border security grid. The visit underlined the BSF’s focus on both frontline construction and on-ground security readiness.

CM Suvendu Adhikari framed the land transfer as a security-first decision, saying the state government was moving quickly to ensure border protection. “We remain steadfast in our resolve to complete these key projects to ensure a safer and more secure environment for our citizens,” he said.

The handover of land marks a major administrative step toward closing gaps in Bengal’s border fencing network, especially in districts where work had been held up for years due to land availability issues.