1,648km of India-Bangladesh border fenced: MoS Home
India shares a 4,096.7-km border with Bangladesh across five states, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai has said that India has fenced 1,647.696 kilometres of its 2,216.7-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh.
According to a report by The Statesman, Rai provided the update in a written reply to BJP MPs Shambhu Sharan Patel and Neeraj Shekhar in the Rajya Sabha yesterday (20 August).
"Out of balance stretch of 569.004 km, which is yet to be covered by fence and other border infrastructure works, 112.780 km is non-feasible and 456.224 km is feasible. Out of 456.224 km of feasible IB (International Border) length in West Bengal, land for 77.935 km has been handed over to the executing agency. For the balance stretch of 378.289 km, land acquisition is yet to be initiated for 148.971 km by the State Government. The remaining land for 229.318 km is in various stages of land acquisition," Rai said.
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He also noted that the Centre is holding meetings and reviews with the West Bengal government to speed up the land acquisition process.
"Timely land acquisition payments as per norms are being released. Payment has already been made for 181.635 km. Illegal infiltration in the state of West Bengal during the last three years [from 1st January, 2023 to 31st July, 2025] is 3964," the minister added.
India shares a 4,096.7-km border with Bangladesh across five states, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
The fencing of the frontier has long been a source of tension. Earlier this year, Dhaka summoned the Indian High Commissioner to lodge a protest over attempts to build barbed wire fencing. India, however, insisted that the work adhered to all bilateral protocols.
New Delhi began fencing in 1986 citing concerns over migration and cross-border crime. India maintains that measures such as barbed wire fencing, border lighting, cattle fences, and the installation of technical devices are aimed at securing the border.
The matter has grown more sensitive following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in Bangladesh, with the current administration leaning towards Pakistan and relations with India becoming strained.
Bangladesh argues that fencing breaches the India-Bangladesh Guidelines for Border Authorities, which bar the construction of defence structures within 150 yards of the zero line. India, on the other hand, maintains that a single fence does not constitute a defence structure.
