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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a three-day visit to West Bengal. On the third and final day, he held a meeting with officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Sashastra Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) at Sukna near Siliguri. Officials from West Bengal were also present in the meeting. In the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah learned about the progress of security arrangements on the eastern borders and focused on strengthening the security arrangements of the Siliguri Corridor.

Let us tell you that Siliguri Corridor is a very narrow area. It connects the northeastern states to the rest of India. It has its own strategic importance as it has borders with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh nearby. The interference of China and Pakistan has increased around the Siliguri Corridor in Bangladesh. India is keeping an eye on the changing developments there. Recently, Bangladesh has also made China a partner in the Teesta Water Project near the corridor.

Focus on increasing surveillance on the border

Officials said that the main objective of the meeting of the Union Home Minister is to increase surveillance on the border, improve coordination between central security forces, intelligence agencies and state police and administration and prepare a framework to create a 'Triangular Security Grid'.

Hill population got big assurance from Shah

On the other hand, the Home Ministry said that under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and in the presence of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, a meeting was held in Siliguri with different stakeholders and representatives of the hilly areas of West Bengal. In this, all the issues to the hill population of the state were discussed in detail and their demands to identity, permanent political solution and recognition under the Constitution of India were discussed.

The ministry further informed that in the meeting, the Union Home Minister promised a permanent political solution soon within the framework of the Constitution of India. He also assured to consider sympathetically all other demands of the community and said that adequate funds from the Center will ensure resolution of all pending issues. The meeting also decided to set up a committee under the chairmanship of former Deputy National Security Advisor and current negotiator Pankaj Kumar Singh to finalize the modalities of work.

India is strengthening the security of Siliguri Corridor

Siliguri Corridor is also known as Chicken Neck. This area falls in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and North Dinajpur districts. Its narrowest part is only 20 to 22 km wide. The Doklam dispute with China in 2017 is located at a short distance from here. On the other hand, since the border of Bangladesh and Nepal is also close, India always remains alert here. India has established three new military garrisons and forward bases at Dhubri in Assam, Chopra in West Bengal and Kishanganj in Bihar to beef up the security of the Siliguri corridor.