Maha Sets Up High-Level Panel To Solve Border Row With Telangana On 15 Jiwati Villages

Chandrapur: The Maharashtra govt has constituted a high-level committee to demarcate the boundaries of 15 villages in Jiwati taluka of Chandrapur district that have remained entangled in the Maharashtra-Telangana border dispute for decades.The panel, constituted through a Govt Resolution (GR) issued by the revenue and forest department, will examine legal, administrative, and land ownership issues linked to the villages and submit its report within two months to end the long-standing administrative anomaly.The committee will examine discrepancies in the Survey of India toposheets, in which the villages are currently shown as part of Telangana. It will also recommend corrections to digitised maps prepared by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC).In addition, the panel will suggest measures to address issues relating to settlement records and ownership rights under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. It will also examine the possibility of transferring land from reserved forest status to the revenue department, wherever necessary, and recommend steps for obtaining the requisite forest clearances.The committee will be headed by Nagpur divisional commissioner and comprise the principal chief conservator of forests (Maharashtra), Chandrapur district collector, deputy director of land records for Nagpur Division, and district superintendent of land records, Chandrapur, as members.Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has directed authorities to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for resolving the issue, which stems from historical administrative changes.Before the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Rajura taluka was part of Adilabad district in the erstwhile Hyderabad State. Following reorganisation, it became part of Bombay State and was subsequently included in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. Jiwati taluka was carved out of Rajura and Korpana talukas in 2002.However, eight revenue villages and seven associated hamlets in Jiwati were never surveyed by the land records department. As a result, village maps, land ownership records, and other essential revenue documents are unavailable for these settlements.The affected villages include Parmodi, Kotha (Bk.), Lendiguda, Mukadamguda, Maharajguda, Antapur, Palasguda and Yesapur, along with their associated habitations.Residents receive most civic amenities — including roads, drinking water facilities, schools and gram panchayat services — from both Maharashtra and Telangana. Electricity supply, however, is largely provided from the Telangana side.The unusual situation has resulted in a parallel administrative system. Several villages have two gram panchayats, two schools, two water tanks, and elected representatives linked to both states. Residents possess voter identity cards issued by both Maharashtra and Telangana and participate in elections conducted by both states.Despite the overlap, the population in these villages is predominantly Marathi-speaking, and daily transactions and official business are conducted in Marathi.The govt has empowered the committee to consult experts, retired officials, and specialists and address any related issues that may emerge during the course of its work.