State government officials have already shown the two sites to the NSG team that has come to visit the state. The NSG team, comprising Major Sukhvir Punia and Captain Yuvraj Singh, had visited Kalaikunda on Monday. They visited Panagarh on Tuesday.

In case the team recommends one of the locations as a probable site for the NSG hub, another team will be sent to conduct a recce of the site. “They have been shown the two sites. They are supposed to return to Delhi this evening,” state Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told The Indian Express. According to sources, the state government is keen on these two sites not only because of the presence of Indian Air Force bases nearby, but also because most of the land in these areas belongs to the Ministry of Defence. Thus, no land has to be acquired for setting up the hub.

“We are interested in these two places as we don’t have to acquire land. In the present political scenario, this gives a breather to the state government. Moreover, they are near airbases and the land is mostly uninhabited. And last but not the least, both the places are only two hours drive from Kolkata,” an official of the Land and Land Reforms department said.