Jalpaiguri (West Bengal): Being citizens of India but not possessing rights on their land sound bizarre. Yes, this is exactly what is happening with the five Indian villages in South Berubari along the India-Bangladesh border. These villagers are deprived of all government facilities and can neither buy nor sell their land due to lack of survey.
Despite prolonged agitation the issue has remained unresolved. These five villages have blamed the Jalpaiguri district administration's lacuna as well as the West Bengal government for not resolving the issue.
Residents of five Indian villages in South Berubari along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Jalpaiguri Sadar block have been in trouble for 77 years. During the exchange of enclaves between the two countries in 2015, the Land Boundary Agreement was effective, but the people here did not get the right to the land due to lack of land survey.
They have alleged that they are being deprived of all benefits, be it the Central government's Kisan Nidhi scheme or the state government's Krishak Bandhu scheme.
At the time of partition, five villages along the Indo-Bangla border namely Kajldighi, Chilahati, Barashashi, Nawtaridevattar and Padhanigram, came into South Berubari with a population of about 10,000.
In 1974, an agreement was signed between the leaders of India and Bangladesh, Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. While determining the border between the two countries, it was found out that these five villages were not part of India.
However, in 1989 it was understood that these five villages were not figuring in the map of India, even though they were within the Indian mainland. As a result, these five villages had to face problems in collecting land rent, selling land and getting benefits of government projects.
Cut to 2015, the two countries exchanged enclaves and land in adverse positions. But even after 9 years of the exchange, the land of these five villages has not been surveyed. As a result, even after so many years of independence, the people of these five border villages are being deprived of their land rights.
Local resident Sardaprasad Das said, "We are suffering on the border. There was an adverse position on the border, but after the Land Boundary Agreement in 2014, we got land for our house. But it has been 10 years since then that the land has not been surveyed. Even after becoming a citizen of India, the people here can't do business. There is no land survey. We have the Voter and Aadhaar cards, but still not on the Indian map. We also want the 16 km unfenced area to be fenced. There are Mauzas, but no land documents."
Another resident Gopalchandra Roy said, "There is no survey of the land on which we cultivate. As a result, we are deprived of facilities from both the state and the Centre. After the Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, pillars were set up on the border, but the land has not been surveyed yet. Farmers are not getting the Centre's Kisan Samnam Nidhi or government benefits. There is no security for the land on the other side of the fence."
Local residents complain that the land survey is not being done because of the lack of government will. Gobinda Roy, former Forward Block MLA of Jalpaiguri Sadar Vidhan Sabha, lives in Chilahati village on the border. He was a MLA in 2006. He too alleged that lack of government will is leaving the issue unresolved.
"Even though the Land Boundary Agreement between the two countries came into effect in 2015, the state government has not surveyed the land and issued land papers. Resulting which, the people of the border have become second class citizens. We have been demanding a land survey since long and don't believe the government can't do this," Roy told ETV Bharat.
Jalpaiguri District Council president Krishna Roy Burman said, "We are looking at the matter seriously."
ETV Bharat could not contact District Magistrate on phone.
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