BALASORE: Tension erupted at Sahabajipur in Balasore district’s Bhograi block as West Bengal officials installed 28 pillars on the land under Odisha territory on February 28.
However, angry villagers and members of Sagar Sathi club removed all the pillars and kept watch for three days to prevent further encroachment.
The alleged lack of interference from the Odisha government has encouraged the West Bengal authorities to claim the land as part of their state.
As per sources, a team from West Bengal’s Revenue department and Digha Sankarpur development committee placed the pillars inside Odisha’s territory, only to face resistance from residents of Sahabajipur village, which is located at the boundary of the two states.
“This land has been part of Odisha since my forefather’s time. Even after an official investigation confirmed this land belongs to Odisha, the West Bengal officials illegally installed these pillars,” said Bhagaban Charan Behera, a local resident. To avoid any future problem, residents have demanded immediate intervention of Revenue department of both states to properly demarcate the boundary.
In January 2023, officials from the two states visited Bilashpur and Gobarghata village in Jaleswar block to inspect the boundary pillars. Authorities installed 40 pillars in Dantun block of West Bengal’s West Medinipur district in 2020, and 36 pillars in 12 disputed villages under Jaleswar block 2021 but the conflict in Bhograi block remains unresolved.
On Monday, local MLA Goutam Buddha Das, Bhograi block development officer Prasanta Kumar Moharana, tehsildar Suryakanta Naik visited Sahabajipur to inspect the site. Officials said Balasore collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas would be informed about the incident.