Indo-Bangladesh Border Fencing Project Progresses in Malda; 260 Acres Required

PTI, May 16, 2026, Malda:  The process of land acquisition for barbed-wire fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border has gathered pace in Malda after the new state government announced that land would be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) within 45 days.

To complete the ambitious border fencing and road construction project, nearly 260 acres of land will be required across the district’s unfenced border stretches.

Acting on instructions from the Malda district administration, officials of the Habibpur Block Land and Land Reforms Department on Friday launched an extensive land acquisition drive in several border villages under the Jajail region, including Bhabanipur, Bhabuk, Agra, Itaghati and Kotalpur.

The response from local farmers has been encouraging, with many voluntarily agreeing to hand over their land in exchange for government compensation at fair market rates.

Farmers signed consent documents during the day-long process and expressed hope that fencing would finally bring security to the border belt.

“We have been demanding border fencing for years. Due to the open border, Bangladeshi miscreants often entered our farmlands, stole crops and smuggled cattle. If fencing comes up, these problems will reduce significantly,” said Ananta Mondal, a farmer from the Habibpur border area.

Habibpur Block Land and Land Reforms Officer Swapan Tarafdar said, “We have formed 12 teams for the land acquisition process to complete on time to hand over land to the BSF for fencing. Farmers are cooperating voluntarily and we hope to complete the process quickly.”

Malda district shares nearly 172 kilometres of border with Bangladesh. According to BSF estimates, around 36 kilometres still remain unfenced, including nearly 29 kilometres in Habibpur block alone.

Several stretches in Kaliachak and Baishnabnagar are also without fencing.

Administrative sources said only around 10 acres of land have been acquired so far. Much of the remaining land is privately owned or distributed under land pattas.

Around Rs 52 crore will be required for compensation and acquisition purposes, while the district administration has already received Rs 54 crore for the project in June 2025.

An additional Rs 2 crore has reportedly been allocated for administrative work.

District Magistrate Rajanbir Singh Kapur held meetings with BSF and land department officials to review progress.

“We are working on a war footing to complete the land handover process within the stipulated 45 days,” he said.

Meanwhile, intermittent rainfall and muddy conditions in low-lying border areas continue to create difficulties for survey teams carrying out fieldwork.

Despite the challenges, officials remain optimistic about meeting the deadline.