A long-standing land dispute between West Bengal and Odisha has turned into a matter of tension between residents on either side of the state border.
Tensions flared after the Odisha government was accused of acquiring land legally belonging to Bengal. According to the district administration of East Midnapore in Bengal, the Odisha government “usurped” on a five-acre plot of land at Udaypur in the district, which has been under dispute for the last few years. Locals on the Bengal side were infuriated after they found the Odisha government initiating work for road construction on the disputed land at Udaypur, close to the popular sea town resort of Digha.
Not willing to get into the dispute’s details, District Magistrate Antara Acharya said: “I’ve referred the matter to the higher authorities. Senior officials at the state secretariat are looking into it and will take a call on this.”
Administration sources said the land has been a cause of dispute between the two state governments for more than two years and has often been a reason for squabbles between villagers living on either side.
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