Tuesday, January 3 2006 16:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Tinbigha (WB): Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today (Jan 3, 2006) visited the Tinbigha Corridor in Coochbehar district of West Bengal and crossed over to the Panbari checkpost in Patgram in Bangladesh where he interacted with senior officials of the Bangaldesh Rifles (BDR).

Patil, who arrived in an IAF helicopter from Siliguri this morning, was given a guard of honour by the BDR personnel at Panbari.

The minister signed the visitor's book at the specially constructed camp at the checkpost in Bangladesh. He took tea with the officials there and received gifts from the BDR.

Patil was accompanied to Panbari by the Coochbehar district magistrate Dr Ravi Inder Singh and officials of the Border Security Force (BSF).

The Tinbigha corridor was handed over to Bangladesh on June 26, 1992 for use of Bangladeshi citizens to travel to Dahagram and Angarpota enclaves from mainland Bangladesh.

Earlier, Patil who was received at the helipad by the Cooch Behar district magistrate at around 9.35 a.m., visited the Bheem border outpost on the Indian side and was given a guard of honour by the BSF. More

Returning from the Bangladesh side of the Tinbigha corridor, the union minister planted a sapling in a park.

A brief function was organized in his honour at the outpost where BSF officials of Jalpaiguri sector briefed him about the importance of the Tinbigha corridor and problems of the Indo-Bangaldesh border area.

Before leaving for Haldibari area of Cooch Behar by helicopter at around 11.05 a.m., the minister talked to the local people and heard their problems.

He assured the people that the Centre would do everything to improve the socio-economic condition of the people in the area and would look into the border problem.

Patil, who reached Siliguri yesterday, is on a three-day trip to North Bengal to review fencing work and to take stock of the border situation.