The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal has taken up the issue of border security seriously in tandem with the Union Government.
On his three-day visit to West Bengal, Home Minister Amit Shah held a high-level meeting in Siliguri in North Bengal on Saturday. Others attending the meeting included Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, senior police officials, MPs, and ministers from the North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, North and South Dinajpur, and Malda.
The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss security measures along the Indo-Bangladesh border, illegal infiltration, false identity documents by illegal citizens, and administrative reforms.
The focus was also on securing the 22km-long Siliguri Corridor, known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, which is part of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts. The strategic location of this corridor makes it a vital land link between eight northeastern states and the rest of India. The Chicken’s Neck has Nepal to the west, Bhutan to the south, and China to the northeast.
The need for heightened security measures comes in the wake of the Rangpo Railway Project, which links Bengal to the Sikkim border. In addition to this is the ongoing military movement seen around this area. Preventing Chinese military forces from getting easy access to logistical infrastructure in the region is also a key aspect.
Discussions also covered crackdowns on criminal gangs, the digitisation of birth and death records, and action taken against infiltration.
Earlier on Saturday, Shah had visited the border areas of Dabgram-Fulbari while also interacting with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. Shah also laid the foundation stone for various developmental projects.
What makes this three-day visit significant is that it is his first visit since the Suvendu Adhikari government took over the reins in West Bengal. Shah had arrived at Kadamtala in Siliguri on Friday night.
Ramping up border security and fencing the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal has been on the BJP’s manifesto, for which the state government has already handed over land, including areas falling within the Chicken's Neck.
Proper fencing has not taken place in the past, with reports of the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) government not giving land to the Centre to ramp up security.
The state has a porous border which prompted illegal Bangladeshis to infiltrate into India. This, however, has changed after the state government pushed back illegal immigrants and also set up detention centres to temporarily house these immigrants.
