The Union Home Ministry has initiated a major security expansion by planning around 40 permanent Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) offices in West Bengal’s border districts with Bangladesh, requiring nearly 50 acres of land. This move aims to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, and counter-infiltration measures amid rising cross-border threats.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed the establishment of permanent office-cum-residential campuses for the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau across West Bengal’s sensitive border districts. Each location will require between one and one-and-a-half acres of land, totalling approximately 50 acres. 

These facilities will replace the current rented premises from which most SIB units operate, barring Kolkata, thereby ensuring greater confidentiality and operational security.

A high-level meeting between officials of the Union Home Ministry and the West Bengal Home Department has already been held to discuss the proposal.

The Centre has indicated its willingness to purchase land if necessary, while the state government is exploring the possibility of allotting vested government-owned land to expedite the process. Once the land is identified and formally handed over, the SIB will develop the infrastructure independently.

The decision comes against the backdrop of heightened security concerns along the India-Bangladesh border. Reports of increased infiltration, smuggling, and activities by foreign intelligence agencies have prompted the Centre to strengthen its intelligence network in the region.

The new infrastructure is expected to enhance intelligence collection, facilitate timely alerts to both central and state authorities, and improve coordination with law enforcement agencies.

The SIB, India’s primary domestic intelligence agency under the Union Home Ministry, plays a crucial role in monitoring internal security threats, gathering actionable intelligence, and providing clearances for sensitive projects. Dedicated campuses will allow the agency to operate with greater efficiency and reduce risks associated with rented premises, which often compromise confidentiality.

This initiative complements the West Bengal government’s recent handover of 142.79 acres of land to the Border Security Force for constructing border outposts and barbed-wire fencing across nine districts.

The districts include Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North 24 Parganas. These measures are part of a broader program to strengthen border management and operational preparedness along the 2,217-km-long India-Bangladesh border, of which nearly 600 km remains unfenced.

Officials believe that the combined expansion of BSF infrastructure and the establishment of permanent SIB offices will significantly improve round-the-clock surveillance, enhance intelligence sharing, and bolster efforts to curb infiltration and smuggling. The move also addresses long-standing delays caused by land acquisition disputes and local objections, which had previously stalled border infrastructure projects.

The Centre’s plan reflects a twin-pronged strategy: reinforcing physical border security through fencing and outposts, while simultaneously expanding intelligence capabilities through permanent SIB establishments. Together, these measures are expected to provide a more robust security architecture in West Bengal, a state that shares the longest border with Bangladesh.

Agencies