Odisha villagers allege encroachment in wall construction by Bengal

The construction of a wall by West Bengal on the border of Odisha has become a bone of contention after local villagers in Balasore district protested the move, an official said on Wednesday.

The project by the Purba Medinipur district administration has to be suspended after the intervention of Udayapur marine police and the Bhograi Tahasildar on Monday, the official said.

Local villagers of Udayapur in Bhograi block, 73 km from Balasore town, had raised an objection with the district administration over what they allege was an encroachment by the way of a construction of a boundary wall on the border.

The Balasore district administration had to intervene at the construction site following the resentment, Additional District Magistrate Bhabesh Nayak said.

Nayak told PTI that he visited the site on Tuesday and prima facie found that a ''little bit of encroachment might have taken place in some part of the land'' by the Purba Medinpur administration on the construction site.

However, the work has been temporarily suspended following a discussion between officials of both sides, the official added.