Forward Bloc's stir plan against land acquisition for BSF camp

The Forward Bloc is not in a mood to allow the authorities to acquire any land for building a camp for the Border Security Force at Meghnarayaner Kuthi village under Sukarur Kuthi Gram Panchayat in Dinhata. They announced of a severe movement plan to resist such a bid.

Secretary of Cooch Behar district unit of the Forward Bloc Mr Udayan Guha said a bid was there to acquire about nine-bigha land to build up a BSF camp at Meghnarayaner Kuthi village. Many homesteads may be evicted and cultivable lands may be acquired for the purpose. If the camp comes up there the local residents, about 14-thousand in number, may have to suffer. The Forward Bloc will not allow the people to suffer. Presently, the local people have to suffer due to the rigidity of the BSF jawans in that area. The Indo-Bangladesh border area is also under Section 144 CrPC for round the year. The new camp may add more problems, he said.

Mr Guha said they would never allow the authorities to acquire land and build up a BSF camp at Meghnarayaner Kuthi as the area may turn isolated from the rest of the district soon after the evening. There may be no independence of the locals, as the area will come under the whims of the BSF jawans.

When asked, the district land and land revenue officer Mr Krishna Chandra Mandal said the plan is still in primary stage. The decision will be taken after a joint survey and inspection. No one should be panicked over the plan, he assured. Dinhata SDO Mr Chiranjib Ghosh also said that he has no information that the land is going to be acquired immediately.

It is learnt that seventy border outposts (BOP) are going to come up along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar district. An agency has been entrusted to identify suitable lands. In a bid to make the bordering area trouble-free and also to curb infiltration and smuggling several more BOPs are needed, sources said.