Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that the Centre is set to make the West Bengal government the custodian of all “enemy properties” located in the State.
Mr. “I have one piece of news to share before ending my speech. Mr. Delegations attended from all seven member states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand), though Bangladesh was represented by a senior bureaucrat rather than its Home Minister. The CEPI collects rent, lease payments, dividends and other recurring income from these properties and deposits the proceeds into the government account.
Adhikari, who made the announcement while inaugurating a Durga Puja at Lalbagh in Murshidabad district on Thursday (October15, 2026), said the State government aims to use the revenue generated from these properties to fund development projects. Adhikari made the announcement 48 hours after the first Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meeting of Home Ministers held in Delhi on Tuesday (October 13, 2026).
The Centre has made the state government custodian of all enemy properties inside Bengal,” he told people at the Puja gathering at the fag end of his speech. The Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI), which operates under the Union Home Ministry, is currently responsible for managing, controlling, preserving and disposing of properties left behind by “enemies”. Sources said this income may now be deposited in the State exchequer if the Bengal government becomes the custodian of such properties.
