Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court, on Thursday, directed the West Bengal government to submit an affidavit on border fencing work along the areas of the India-Bangladesh border in the state.

The direction from the High Court came while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), demanding fencing along several hundred kilometres of the India-Bangladesh border.

On Thursday, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen ordered the state to file its statement in an affidavit within 15 days.

West Bengal’s border area with Bangladesh is 2,217 km.

A considerable stretch of the border (569 km) is unfenced. As a result, infiltration and smuggling take place freely.

According to the petitioner Subrata Saha, the situation on the India-Bangladesh border is dangerous in terms of national security.

He has been working as an Army officer for a long time and is worried about this situation.

He claimed that since 2016, drugs, cows, gold and fake currency have continuously being smuggled through the India-Bangladesh border in the state.

Due to delay in land acquisition process of the state, fencing of the border area is not being done.

The petitioner claimed that the Central government has agreed to allocate funds, but there is a lack of proactive steps taken by the state.

Therefore, the petitioner was forced to file a PIL.

Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty, representing the Centre, said that the state government is not cooperating with the Union government in this regard.

As a result, fencing on the border is stalled.

After hearing the submission, the High Court sought the state government’s affidavit on the matter within 15 days.

–IANS

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