States too have responsibility for securing border areas, says Shah

New Delhi, December 17

Chairing the 25th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting in Kolkata today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah impressed upon the participating Chief Ministers that the states having borders with Bangladesh also have a responsibility along with the BSF for the security of India’s frontiers.

Sharing details of deliberations at the meeting, sources said illegal infiltration, trans-border smuggling and the vulnerable India-Bangladesh boundary were among several issued discussed.

With West Bengal being the host state, the meeting was held at the state secretariat in Kolkata.

Issues like transportation facilities and water-sharing among states were also discussed during the meeting, which was attended by Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Jharkhand Mamata Banerjee and Hemant Soren, respectively. Bihar was represented by Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and from Odisha, state minister Pradeep Amat attended the meeting.

The role of the BSF was discussed in light of the increase in the operational area of the border force earlier this year.

The meeting also discussed resurgence of Maoist activities in the tri-junction of Jharkhand-Odisha-West Bengal. It was decided that states and the Centre would share real-time information on Maoist activities in the red zone, the officials said.

Mamata highlighted that arms are being smuggled into West Bengal from neighbouring states and coordinated steps were needed to check the menace.