Odisha Stops Andhra’s Intrusion Into Rayagada District

Rayagada: Two days after the Odisha government said it had no information about intrusion by Andhra Pradesh in Koraput district, the officials of Rayagada administration stopped a pond digging work being carried out on the instruction of the neighbouring state.

According to sources, the people of Lauguda village under Ramanaguda block of the district found that some outsiders were digging the pond in their village. On being enquired, the workers told the villagers that they were engaged by the Andhra government under MGNREGS.

After, the villagers informed Ramanguda BDO Pravati Jhodia and tehsildar Nirmal Sahu about the digging work by Andhra labourers, the two officers apprised Raygada collector Swadha Dev Singh of the incident.

On the instructions of the collector, the BDO and tehsildar went to Gumma Laxmipur in Andhra Pradesh and held a meeting with block and tehsil officials there. Following the meeting, the Andhra workers stopped the work and returned to their state.

It was also decided that Andhra would not carry out any work in the village till the border of the two states is not demarcated, the sources said.

It may be noted that following reports of intrusion by Andhra in Kotia, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallik on Thursday said in the Assembly that the government did not have any information in this regard. Necessary steps would be taken immediately, if something like this came to light, she added.

Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are engaged in a five-decade-long tussle over the ownership of Kotia. Both the states have been claiming their territorial control over the area since early 1960s.