Pradhan seeks personal intervention of CM Naveen to solve Odisha-Andhra border disputes

Bhubaneswar: In order to address and resolve border concerns with Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has encouraged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to call an all-party meeting. He claims that administrative outreach by the neighbouring state is recorded in some Odisha areas.

The Union Education Minister wrote to Naveen asking for his help in resolving problems in two border villages in south Odisha: Manikapatna in Gangabada gramme panchayat of Gajapati district and Kotia region in Pottangi block of Koraput district.

Dharmendra, who is from Odisha, also brought up his prior attempts to reach a peaceful conclusion to the boundary disputes between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in 2020 and 2021.

He said this illegal and unpleasant outreach is currently not just limited to Kotia but is also rapidly extending to other villages in south Odisha, noting that administrative outreach by the Andhra Pradesh government in these areas has been reported in the last few days.

According to reports, 21 of these villages have been added to the newly created Parvatipuram Manyam district, which has a new nomenclature and has its headquarters approximately 40 kilometres from a number of Kotia villages.

He claimed that Andhra Pradesh is actively executing various programmes and developmental initiatives in these villages in an effort to recruit the locals.

It is necessary for the Odisha government to take initiative locally in order to better connect with the people who live in these border villages. People may find the Andhra Pradesh administration more approachable because it is remote from the district headquarters, the Union Minister remarked.

"The neighbouring state may utilise this to drive these residents away from Odisha and cut off their long-established sociocultural ties to their motherland. The man claimed that by providing ration cards, healthcare, education, and other amenities, Andhra Pradesh is strategically attempting to persuade these border village residents.

Keeping this in mind, he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was made available to the media on Friday, that Odisha should respect the local population and organisations and address a number of developmental issues by making sure residents of bordering villages aren't drawn in by Andhra Pradesh facilities and by hastening the swift implementation of the Odisha government's developmental activities.

"I want to draw attention to the fact that such administrative clashes and disagreements would not only disrupt the lives of the locals but also impede the growth of these settlements. It will sabotage the current development process, which runs counter to the sociopolitical goals of both States, and plant the seeds for the emergence of anti-establishment sentiments in this area, according to Pradhan.

"Despite all of my efforts throughout the years, these problems still exist today. Regardless of party affiliation, all political parties concur that Odia interests in these border settlements should be developed and protected.

He requested Naveen's help in order to resolve the aforementioned concerns in a way that would be amicable and peaceful while also considering the welfare of the locals of the border villages between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in the districts of Koraput and Gajapati.

The BJP leader continued, "Therefore, I request that you call an all-party meeting to discuss these concerns, examine the progress made by the inter-state committee, and receive a briefing on the developmental initiatives undertaken in border communities.