House divided among two states, family pays taxes to both

None experience the strange feeling of straddling between two states at loggerhead with each other over 14 villages than a 13-member family of Pawars here. The Pawars, whose house happens to stand along the border of Maharashtra and Telangana in the village of Maharajaguda in Simavarti Jivati tehsil of Chandrapur district, has been paying property tax to both states for years.

They enjoy the beneficiary schemes of both states and even own vehicles with registration numbers of Maharashtra and Telangana. This may sound strange but it is true. The Pawar family lives in this 10-room house in Maharajguda village. Four rooms in the house come inside Telangana while four rooms are in Maharashtra.

While the kitchen is in Telangana, the bedroom and hall are in Maharashtra. A total of 13 members of the families of two brothers Uttam Pawar and Chandu Pawar have been living in this 10-room house for years. In 1969, when the dispute on the border issue was finally fixed, the Pawar family’s land was divided into two states. The house was also divided. However, no problem has been faced to date by the family as they pay property taxes in both states.

Speaking on the matter, Uttam Pawar said, “Our house is divided between Maharashtra and Telangana, but till today we have not had any problem with it, we pay property tax in both the states and take advantage of the schemes of both the states.” Both Maharashtra and Telangana have laid their claims on 14 villages along the Maharashtra-Telangana border.

Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that the villages belong to Maharashtra, Telangana continues to claim the villages as its part. Among them, one of the 14 villages is Maharajaguda village, which is divided between the two states. Not only the village but even a 10-room house of the Pawar family is also divided between the two states.

Currently, tension is high between Maharashtra and Karnataka over the border issue with both states claiming some areas along the border as theirs. On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka on the border row and said that the two states would not make any claim against each other until the Supreme Court gives its verdict.

“Until the Supreme Court gives the decision in the matter, none of the states will make any claim on each other. Three ministers from both sides will meet and discuss the issue. The ministers will also resolve other issues pending between the two states,” he said.

(ANI)