Bengal cabinet approves 0.9 acres of land for BSF in Nadia district for border outpost

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Kolkata, Jan 27 (PTI) The West Bengal cabinet on Monday approved the allocation of around 0.9 acres of land in Nadia district's Karimpur to the Border Security Force (BSF), potentially for setting up outposts or installing wired fences, a senior official said.
    The paramilitary force had informed the state government about their land requirement, and the matter was discussed during Monday's cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat.
    "At today's cabinet meeting, the matter was discussed and approval for 0.9 acres of land at Karimpur in Nadia was given to the BSF," the official said.
    This decision comes amidst recent tensions, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleging earlier this month that the BSF was allowing infiltration from Bangladesh.
    Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari strongly criticised Banerjee's statements, calling them "an insult to the 75,000 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and 33,000 BSF personnel in Bengal."
    Adhikari also claimed that the state's lack of support was hindering the construction of fencing to prevent infiltration along the India-Bangladesh border.
    The BJP leader alleged that land acquisition for the 284-kilometre fence was "pending" at the state level.
    "Out of 133 land acquisition cases, three are pending because of the state government's cabinet, and 10 are pending due to the lack of revenue records," he said in a letter to Banerjee on January 4. Despite the release of Rs 217 crore by the Centre, only 31 per cent of the land has been transferred to the BSF, he claimed.
    Additionally, the cabinet approved the the state assembly's budget session from February 10 with the budget scheduled to to presented on February 12.
    The cabinet also approved the filling of 60 vacancies across various departments, including the home and hill department, and women and child welfare.
    In a move to recognise the achievements of the Bengal Santosh Trophy-winning football team, the state cabinet decided to offer jobs in the state police to players facing recruitment challenges due to specific physical shortcomings. This gesture is part of the Bengal government's effort to reward the team's victory in the prestigious football tournament.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)