MLA halts roadwork on Odisha-Bengal border
Bhograi: Tensions flared along the Odisha–West Bengal border in Bhograi Monday after local MLA Goutam Buddha Das intervened to stop a road construction project allegedly encroaching into Odisha’s territory.
The dispute is over the construction of a 40-metre concrete road in Sagarasahi village under Bhograi block, an area claimed by Odisha. The Odisha government had earlier assured that the roadwork would be carried out from its end.
Monday morning, officials from West Bengal’s Public Works Department (PWD) allegedly entered the disputed area with a JCB machine to resume work on the road. Upon receiving information about the development, Das, along with Bhogarai Tahsildar Surya Kumar Nayak, Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Prabir Kumar Giri and the Kamarda Police Station officer in charge, rushed to the site and halted the work immediately.
Das asserted that Odisha’s identity, language and land must be protected at all costs. “As worthy children of our motherland, we will neither hand her over to outsiders nor surrender at their feet,” he said.
The MLA criticised the West Bengal government for what he described as a strategic push into Odisha’s border villages, particularly in the Jaleswar and Bhograi blocks of Balasore district, where boundary disputes remain unresolved in nearly 80 villages.
The road construction issue resurfaced prominently last month when the West Medinipur district administration in West Bengal began constructing the road in the disputed area.
In response to repeated intrusions, the MLA promised that concrete road work in the affected village would commence within three days under Odisha’s jurisdiction. A 20-member village committee has also been formed to act as vigilant guards along the border.
Das also urged locals to remain alert and committed to defending the state’s territorial integrity. Nevertheless, the situation reflects a broader pattern of inter-state disputes involving Odisha, with recent flashpoints also reported along the Andhra Pradesh border.
PNN
News