Odisha, AP claim control over Kotia villages

Vizianagaram: The officers, public representatives of Andhra Pradesh are lagging behind the Odisha on the issue of Kotia villages, which are in the border of Andhra and Odisha states.

Around 22 villages including Ganjayibhadra and Kotia are ignored by the Union government during bifurcation of Andhra and Odisha states during early 1950s and since then the villages became disputed areas. The locals have been getting some funds and MGNREGS job cards from the both AP and Odisha.

But both the states are not completely taking care of them. Recently, the mines department found huge quantities of deposits of iron, manganese and bauxite in these villages.  The mines and mineral deposits have provoked both states to retain the geographical area in their control.

The AP government had conducted Janma Bhumi grama sabha on January 9 and the Collector of Vizianagaram Vivek Yadav visited the villages, assured the locals that the AP government would take care of them and providebasic facilities. 

The visit of the Collector drew the attention of Odisha government. Immediately, the Collector of Koraput (In Odisha) K Sudarsan Chakravarthi, SP Viswal Singh and Pottangi MLA Prafullakumar Pangi along with medical, revenue officials visited those villages and intensified the implementation of welfare schemes of Odisha government. Even they sanctioned bus facility to these remote villages.

Anyhow, the Odisha government is wooing the public to retain its rights on that area. Revenue divisional officer of Parvathipuram K Sudarsan Dora told that AP has complete rights on those villages and even the judgment given by Supreme Court was in favour of AP only. But again, the government has to conduct survey and decide the boundaries between the two states," he said.  

But the Odisha bureaucrats are frequently visiting those villages and providing medical facility and sanctioned ration cards and distributed sports kits to tribal youth. But the AP government is not much interested and so far, no official from survey department had visited those areas to define boundaries. 

Recently the Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited these villages and asserted that the Odisha government won’t leave the rights on these areas and will retain the area in their control only. He stated that they would not lose their rights on this geographical area. It seems that the AP state government is not concentrating on this issue and not putting the efforts to retain its rights.

Collector Vivek Yadav told The Hans India on this issue ``We are observing every movement and step taken by Odisha and reporting this to our state government, we will take every measure to protect our rights on that area and soon we will conduct survey and retain our rights.’’