West Bengal has approved 11 new police outposts along its borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan, along with 209 new posts to staff them, in a move aimed at strengthening policing and curbing cross-border criminal activity, according to a report by Sanmarg.
Each outpost will have 19 police personnel: one sub-inspector, three assistant sub-inspectors and 15 constables. The proposed deployment will expand the police presence in remote border settlements and support more regular patrols, local intelligence gathering and law-and-order operations, the report said.
Alipurduar district will receive the largest share, with seven of the new outposts planned along the Bhutan border. The proposed locations are Hatipota under Samuktala police station, Pasakha under Jaigaon police station, Lankapara and Bandapani under Birpara police station, Hantapara under Madarihat police station, Sankosh under Kumargram police station and Chuapara under Kalchini police station.
Three additional outposts are planned in Malda district, which shares a border with Bangladesh. These include Lanagola and Pakuahat under Bamangola police station, according to the report. One more outpost will be established at Tore in the Jaldhaka police station area of Kalimpong district, near the Bhutan border.
The location pattern places most of the new facilities in northern West Bengal, where police coverage must extend across border-facing villages and geographically remote areas. The new outposts are intended to bring police services closer to these settlements rather than relying only on larger police stations located farther away.
The staffing approval is a central part of the plan. With 19 personnel assigned to each of the 11 outposts, the sanctioned strength will create dedicated teams for station-level operations, patrol activity and information collection. The deployment structure includes supervisory officers as well as assistant sub-inspectors and constables.
The state government’s stated objective is to improve security arrangements in the border districts and make it easier for authorities to respond to criminal activity and law-and-order concerns. Officials cited stronger patrolling and the collection of intelligence at the local level as expected benefits of the new facilities.
The report said the administration plans to complete construction and the appointment process at the earliest. All 11 police outposts are targeted to become operational within the current year.
