DRDO to Set Up Missile Testing Range at Junput in Bengal

West Bengal is set to get a new DRDO weapons and missile testing range at Junput in Purba Medinipur, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari approving the project. The facility, proposed by DRDO in 2024, will supplement the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha, and expand India’s defence-testing capacity along the eastern coast.Located around 70 km from Chandipur along the Bay of Bengal, Junput is expected to help reduce the workload at the Odisha range and provide an additional site for testing missiles and other weapon systems. The proposed facility would become a major DRDO testing hub alongside Chandipur and the planned centre in Andhra Pradesh.The Defence Ministry had said in 2024 that land acquisition and construction of roads and hard-standing facilities at Junput had been completed, although work was temporarily halted following local unrest. Safety plans include evacuating people within a one-kilometre radius during testing, with compensation and shelter arrangements.