At the first Cabinet meeting West Bengal Chief Minister of Suvendu Adhikari announced that the process of transferring land to the Border Security Force for completing fencing along the India–Bangladesh border would start immediately and be finished within 45 days.

He said the decision was taken as part of the government’s priority to speed up border security measures and address concerns over cross-border movement.

The Chief Minister added that once the land is fully handed over, the BSF will be able to complete the remaining fencing work, which the government believes will help curb illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.

The announcement follows a key election promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party during the campaign, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah had pledged that all required land for fencing would be transferred within 45 days if the party came to power.

The issue of infiltration was a major theme in the recent Assembly elections, with the BJP accusing the former state administration led by the Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of delaying border fencing due to political considerations. The TMC, however, has argued that land acquisition is complex and requires balancing local livelihoods and administrative concerns.

West Bengal shares a long international border of over 4,000 km with Bangladesh, of which most has already been fenced, while a few hundred kilometres still remain unfinished, particularly in difficult terrain. The state government emphasized that while operational control of border security remains with the BSF under the central government, cooperation from the state is essential for land-related clearances.

Source: India Today

END/ASA

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

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