GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the West Bengal Cabinet’s reported decision to hand over land to the Border Security Force (BSF) for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border, describing it as a major step towards strengthening security in Assam and the Northeast.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati after chairing the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, Sarma said sealing vulnerable stretches of the international border was critical to curbing infiltration and safeguarding the region.“Our fight against infiltration always faced a problem because there was a huge gap in fencing between Bangladesh and West Bengal,” the Chief Minister said.

Sarma noted that organisations and political groups in Assam had long demanded complete sealing of the India-Bangladesh border in the state, but stressed that such efforts would remain ineffective unless similar action was taken in West Bengal, which shares the longest border with Bangladesh among Indian states.

“Yesterday, the West Bengal Cabinet took a very significant decision that within 45 days, land will be handed over to the BSF so that the border can be completely secured and fencing can be erected along an 800-km stretch. Without Bengal, Northeastern states will always remain insecure from infiltration,” he said.

The Chief Minister pointed out that five Indian states – Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and West Bengal – share borders with Bangladesh, with Assam having the shortest stretch and West Bengal the longest. “This has been our concern for a long time.

Without securing the West Bengal border, the entire Northeast will remain vulnerable,” Sarma added. Calling the reported move “heartening news” for the people of the Northeast, the Assam Chief Minister said border management had remained a politically sensitive issue for years and was prominently discussed during the recent West Bengal Assembly election campaign.“I would like to compliment the Bengal Cabinet for this historic decision,” he said.

The development comes amid renewed focus on border surveillance and national security concerns in eastern and northeastern India, particularly over illegal cross-border infiltration and demographic changes in border states.Earlier this week, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, during the first Cabinet meeting after the Assembly elections, reportedly approved the transfer of land to the BSF to facilitate fencing work along the Bangladesh border.

The proposed fencing initiative is expected to strengthen monitoring along vulnerable stretches of the international boundary and improve coordination among border states in the Northeast region.