Land freeze paralyses five villages near Bangladesh border for last nine years
Telegraph | 15 March 2024
Around 8,000 residents of five villages near the Bangladesh border in Jalpaiguri district have been facing a peculiar problem for the past nine years.
Since 2015, they have neither been able to sell their land nor provide it to the state government for compensation.
“Since 2015, the state land and land reforms department has stopped registering our land. Also, the mutation of our land has stopped. Thus, most of us don’t have the land in our name,” said Akhil Roy, a resident of Fouderpara, a locality under Borosashi village — one of the five — of Jalpaiguri Sadar block.
Borosashi apart, the other villages are Naotari-Debottar, Paranigram, Kajaldighi and Chilahati.
These five were known as villages in “adverse possession”. In 1947, after India gained independence, a land survey under the new map showed they were part of the then East Pakistan (Bangladesh).
“However, the five villages remained within the Indian border and all of us are Indian residents. We have all identity proofs and land deeds issued during British rule. Till 2015, we could sell our land based on the deeds,” said villager Dwijendranath Roy.
However, after 2015, as enclaves were exchanged between India and Bangladesh, the Bengal land department stopped registering their land for sale, said villagers.
“Also, no fresh land survey was carried out over these years to demarcate our land,” Roy added.
He said that the state land and land reforms department sought land from them would be handed over to the BSF and the CPWD to build roads, border outposts and install fences on some stretches.
“They are in a fix as to whom they will pay compensation as the lands are in the name of our ancestors and not ours. Because of this problem, we don’t get benefits like annual financial assistance, crop insurance and subsidy on fertilisers from the state and central governments unlike other farmers,” pointed out Samar Roy, another villager.
With Lok Sabha polls drawing near, residents have decided to approach candidates of all political parties contesting from Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seat to resolve their problem.
Saradaprasad Das, a former head of Dakshin Berubari panchayat, under which the villages are located, said there is no fence throughout 17km at the international border that passes along these villages.
“The villages are unsafe as there is no fence. We have severally met administrative officials but nothing has been done so far,” he said.
Political leaders said they would look into the issue. “I will visit the area to gather more information about the problem and then take it up with the state land and land reforms department,” said MLA Nirmal Chandra Roy contesting as the Trinamul candidate from Jalpaiguri.
Officials of Jalpaiguri district administration said they sent a proposal to the state, seeking permission for a land survey of these five villages.
“We are waiting for approval. The survey will be carried out to mark the land so that the problem is resolved,” said district magistrate Shama Parveen.