With reports that the West Bengal Government has taken control over a panchayat samiti road (Sahabajipur-Udaypur) on the Odisha side of the border in Balasore, the State Government on Monday decided to seek a status report from the District Collector on the issue. ‘’The State Government will first have to verify the ground situation before deciding on the next course of action,’’ Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro told this paper. The issue of boundary disputes with neighbouring States was also discussed at the Assembly Committee headed by Speaker Pradip Amat here on Monday. It was decided that besides the Balasore Collector, status reports will be sought from all collectors of border districts over disputes with neighbouring States.
The committee asked the Revenue department to submit a status report on Odisha’s boundary disputes with neighbouring States at its next meeting, scheduled in the last week of July. It also recommended that the Balasore district administration should dismantle a checkpost constructed by the West Bengal Government on Odisha’s side of the road. Besides, it was also decided that no joint checkpost with West Bengal will be allowed on the road.
Sources said there was a proposal for setting up a joint checkpost on the road from West Bengal Government. Government chief whip Prabhat Tripathy said the Assembly Committee will give its recommendation to the State Government after receiving the status report from the Revenue department.