The West Bengal government has reportedly advanced the clearances required for the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s proposed testing facility at Junput, according to the Times of India. The site is located in Junput village in Purba Medinipur district, near Digha, around 177 kilometres from Kolkata and approximately 70 kilometres from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.The proposed facility will cover about 8.73 acres along the Bay of Bengal. Its coastal location is expected to provide access to suitable testing corridors while maintaining a degree of separation from densely populated areas. The facility is intended primarily to support trials involving short-range missiles, radar systems and other weapon technologies.One of the principal objectives is to reduce pressure on the Chandipur test range, which handles a substantial volume of defence testing activity. By distributing trials between two nearby facilities, DRDO could increase testing capacity and reduce scheduling bottlenecks. Chandipur would continue to support longer-range and strategic missile testing, while Junput could undertake shorter-range missile and radar-related trials.Officials have indicated that earlier administrative and clearance-related issues had delayed the project but have since been addressed. The renewed progress reflects cooperation between the state government and DRDO to move the facility ahead.The Bay of Bengal location could also support activities such as missile trajectory monitoring and radar calibration. The project forms part of wider efforts to expand defence-related infrastructure in West Bengal and strengthen India’s indigenous weapons development ecosystem. By creating an additional testing location, DRDO would gain greater flexibility and resilience instead of relying heavily on a single major test range.
