Minister meets border residents over fence land price concerns

Kolkata: Bengal food minister and Bongaon North MLA Ashok Kirtania visited the India-Bangladesh border area at Chhoygharia near Petrapole on Sunday to speak with residents over land acquisition for border fencing, appealing to landowners to cooperate in the interest of national security.Senior district administration officials and BSF personnel have already begun ground assessments in border areas of Bongaon and Basirhat in North 24 Parganas, with procedural work for land acquisition underway. The state govt has set a 45-day deadline to hand over the required land to the BSF for barbed-wire fencing along unfenced stretches.Residents expressed broad willingness to cooperate but raised concerns over compensation. "Officials quoted one rate for my land and a higher rate for my co-sharers' land, despite the deeds showing similar plots. The minister assured us the issue would be looked into," said Tapan Mondal, a local resident.Kirtania said there was no major obstruction in Bongaon and reiterated the 45-day deadline would be met. He acknowledged some complications in three mouzas in the Basirhat border region but expressed confidence they would be resolved."National security is paramount. We will hand over the land and provide fair compensation," he said.