Border residents demand land rights & creation of separate dev authority

Jalpaiguri: Residents of the South Berubari and Nagar Berubari border areas in Jalpaiguri district have renewed demands for land rights and the creation of a separate Border Area Development Authority. The South Berubari Simanta Pratiraksha Committee has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, highlighting long-standing issues faced by nearly 50,000 citizens living near the India-Bangladesh border.

During a meeting on Wednesday in South Berubari, the committee sent the demand letter via e-mail and speed post to both leaders. They pointed out that despite possessing Indian voter IDs, Aadhaar, PAN and ration cards, many residents still lack official land records. Their properties are still marked as being in Bangladesh, even though the 2015 land exchange agreement between India and Bangladesh officially included these villages within Indian territory.

Sarada Prasad Das, Joint Secretary of the committee, said: “Until 2014, land could be bought and sold through the government registry office. But since the land swap, transactions have stopped. We’ve submitted documents to the District Magistrate and Land Revenue department, but no land records have been issued.”

Due to the absence of land ownership documents, many residents are unable to access government welfare schemes, including the state’s Krishak Bandhu farmer support programme. The committee also expressed concern over the discontinuation of Central funds under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP), which has halted critical infrastructure projects like roads, drainage and street lighting. They proposed the creation of a Border Area Development Authority, involving the BSF and local administration, to address development gaps.

Land disputes have further delayed fencing work along the border. Das noted that 19 km in South Berubari and 5 km in Nagar Berubari remain unfenced. Though the BSF and local administration have recently collected written consent from villagers, compensation is being offered only for land with homes, crops or trees — not for vacant land.

Harish Chandra Roy of the committee said: “We have appealed to the Prime Minister to take immediate steps for development and settlement.”

Jalpaiguri MLA Pradip Kumar Barma assured: “I will raise this issue in the upcoming Assembly session and request the Chief Minister’s intervention.”