The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday set a firm deadline for the transfer of land required for the installation of barbed wire fencing along the state’s international borders, directing the West Bengal government to hand over the relevant land to the Centre by March 31.
Hearing a case related to the acquisition of border land in nine districts, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul made it clear that there should be no further delay in transferring land where the acquisition process has already been completed and compensation has been paid by the central government. The court categorically stated that the land must be transferred by the end of March and that excuses such as the ongoing SIR process would not be accepted.
The bench also issued important directions regarding land parcels for which state cabinet approval is still pending. Citing concerns of national security, the court sought clarification from both the central and state governments on whether land acquisition could be carried out on an emergency basis under existing legal provisions. All parties have been directed to file affidavits on the matter. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 2.
During earlier hearings, the central government had raised serious concerns over border security, alleging prolonged delays in fencing work due to a lack of cooperation from the state government. The Centre’s counsel informed the court that barbed wire fencing is yet to be installed along approximately 4,100 km of India’s borders, of which around 2,216.70 km fall in West Bengal.
Referring to these submissions during Tuesday’s hearing, the court observed that procrastination on matters concerning national security would not be tolerated. It stressed that land transfer and acquisition processes related to border security must be completed expeditiously to facilitate the fencing work.
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