Odisha: BJP Demands All-Party Panel To Resolve Border Issues

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday demanded that the State Government should constitute an all-party committee to sort out the border disputes with Andra Pradesh and West Bengal.

Responding to the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi's statement in the Assembly regarding the border disputes with the neighbouring States, the Deputy Leader of Opposition, Bishnu Sethy said that the government should set up an all-party committee to resolve the boundary issues amicably.

“There is an Assembly committee functioning in the State which looks after the issue of border disputes. The committee failed to resolve the ongoing border row. So, the Government should constitute an all-party committee and take views from the members cutting across party lines. We also request the chief Minister to intervene in the matter," Sethy said.

The demand of the Opposition party came after the Revenue Minister admitted in the Assembly that Odisha was facing border problems with its neighbouring states. He said the government was taking every possible measure to sort out the dispute. Efforts have been made under the supervision of Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs) and Collectors to resolve such issues, he added.

The Minister further informed the Assembly that there are 21 villages along the border with Andhra Pradesh while nine villages are bordering West Bengal. The State Government is committed to provide all possible assistance to the villagers, he said, adding that committees have been formed at district administration level to look into the issue.

On the other hand, Congress alleged that the border tension has aggravated due to the government's apathy.

"The Odisha government has forgotten the actual border. The State seems to have abandoned the areas occupied by Andhra Pradesh since long. The situation is more like what the country has done to areas occupied by China and Pakistan," senior Congress MLA Narasingh Mishra said.