Trinamool’s land policy delayed West Bengal border fencing: MHA’s 2023 affidavit in Supreme Court

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated in a Supreme Court affidavit that the former Trinamool Congress government's slow and complex Direct Land Purchase Policy hindered land acquisition for border fencing along the Bangladesh border. The BJP government, after assuming power, announced plans to transfer land to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days. The West Bengal government has handed over 78 km of border land to the BSF in the past three years, while 121 km remains to be transferred. The Calcutta High Court is currently reviewing the applicability and feasibility of acquiring land using Section 40 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR Act), 2013.