West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that around 4,800 illegal immigrants have been sent to Bangladesh from holding centres set up in the state's border districts, with 836 more awaiting deportation.
Adhikari emphasized that securing the India-Bangladesh border is a priority, and his government has handed over land to the BSF to erect around 100 km of fencing, out of the 556 km required.
The 'Chicken's Neck' corridor in north Bengal, a critical and sensitive lifeline, has been prioritized for fencing.
Adhikari stated that his government has started deporting illegal immigrants, as per a law of the Union government, and that these people are being handed over to the BSF directly.
He claimed that the previous Trinamool Congress government did not implement this law, and that illegal immigrants were kept in the state's jails and availed facilities at the taxpayers' expense.
