The farmers in Gajapati border areas met the district Collector recently, alleging that locals of Andhra Pradesh are forcibly cultivating their land by claiming the land to be their own. With the support of their Revenue department, the Andhra farmers are grabbing land in the border areas under Odisha region, they said and sought intervention of the district administration.
According to information, as a part of sorting out a long pending land dispute between farmers of both States at Cherigudi Khaspa region, Revenue staff of Odisha and Andhra had identified their respective plots of land. Still some farmers of Andhra Pradesh have been illegally keping their control over the land belonging to Odisha.
In Kashinagar and Paralakhemundi Tehsils near about 12 acres of land of SKeviti area has turned controversial with locals from Srikakulam district locking horns with Odisha people.
Since last 40 years those Andhra farmers have been cultivating the land forcibly. 10 months back during Anupam Saha regime as Gajapati Collector, some steps had been taken to sort out the issue, including measurement of land area and handover of the plots to Odisha farmers under occupation of Andhra residents. But the dispute has refused to die down.