Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday kickstarted his two-day visit to West Bengal, by inaugurating the Border Security Force (BSF) border out posts at Hingalganj in Sunderbans area of North 24 Parganas district. He also flagged off a boat ambulance and inaugurated a Maitri museum.
The number of floating BOPs has been increased with a view to boost surveillance in the inaccessible areas of the Sunderbans, officials said.
The boat ambulance is aimed at providing medical assistance in the isolated regions of the Sunderbans from Saheb Khali to Shamsher Nagar.
While addressing the BSF personnel at the Prahari Sammelan, Shah made a veiled reference to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government over keeping the borders free from infiltration and smuggling.
“It is the BSF’s responsibility to keep the region free of smuggling and infiltration. But the task is difficult without help from the local administration. But trust me, a political situation is being created to ensure speedy cooperation. The public pressure will be such that people will be compelled to provide assistance,” Shah said.
The BSF has been one of the friction points between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. Last November, the West Bengal assembly had passed a resolution against the Centre’s decision to extend the jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 kilometres to 50 kilometres of the international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“The country is moving forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is because our borders are safe. As the home minister, I am able to sleep peacefully because our soldiers are alert on the borders,” Shah said, hailing the security forces guarding India’s borders.