Shinde reviews coastal security in Sunderbans

Kolkata: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday reviewed coastal security in the Sunderbans on the first day of his two-day visit to West Bengal, advising BSF officials to strengthen surveillance along the vulnerable riverine Indo-Bangla border.

Arriving here from Delhi by a BSF special flight, he flew by an IAF MI-17 helicopter to Sarberia in North 24-Parganas district and from there took a BSF boat to Dhamakhali. The minister visited T-Junction floating BOP near the Sagar Island and creeks in the Sunderbans, BSF Joint Director General(East) BD Sharma told PTI over phone. During his visit to the floating BOP Sagar, the Union minister met BSF officials and held a meeting with them. Shinde later visited the last BOP along the Indo-Bangla riverine border at Shamsernagar and met the BSF Jawans there, before having an interaction with common people, Sharma said. After resting overnight at Raj Bhavan, Shinde would go to Frazergunj tomorrow to visit a proposed Coast Guard station there, state secretariat sources said. Shinde is scheduled to take a hovercraft ride, accompanied by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in the coastal areas followed by a meeting with her, the sources said. Shinde will also visit the Sagar Island tomorrow before returning to Delhi via Kolkata, the sources said. The chief minister also left for the Sunderbans ahead of her schedule with Shinde there tomorrow. PTI