Bhubaneswar, Oct 21: Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday directed to take appropriate legal and administrative measures to safeguard Odisha’s interests and strengthen the state’s administrative presence in Kotia region.The Minister conducted a detailed review of the Kotia Gram Panchayat issue in Koraput district through a virtual meeting, reaffirming the state government’s commitment to resolving the long-standing dispute.During the meeting, Pujari held detailed discussions with Advocate General Pitambar Acharya and sought his legal advice on the appropriate steps required to protect the state’s interests.He stressed the need to expedite necessary legal proceedings and ensure effective coordination among the concerned departments, legal experts and district administration.
The review comes in the wake of reports that the Andhra Pradesh government has issued a notification to conduct panchayat elections in certain areas of Kotia Gram Panchayat, which falls under the Pottangi block of Koraput district in Odisha.The Revenue Minister has directed the district administration to closely monitor the situation and take all necessary measures.Pujari stated that maintaining peace and stability in Kotia, preserving public confidence and safeguarding Odisha’s legal rights and interests remain the state government’s top priorities.He reiterated that the government is committed to taking all appropriate steps towards an early, lasting and constitutional resolution of the dispute.Long-standing inter-state dispute.The dispute over villages in the Kotia region has remained a matter of discussion and legal proceedings between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh for several years.According to the information shared during the review, a case filed by the then Odisha government in 2006 concerning the inter-state boundary dispute was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Subsequently, the review petition and curative petition filed in connection with the matter were also dismissed.After a gap of 16 years, another case was filed in 2022 by the then state government, and the matter is currently pending before the court.The dispute became more complicated in February 2021, when Andhra Pradesh conducted panchayat elections in the disputed villages. In response, Odisha filed a contempt-related petition before the Supreme Court.Given that the relevant cases remain pending, the Revenue Minister directed the Advocate General to take the necessary legal steps. The Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department and the Koraput District Collector have also been instructed to provide the Advocate General with all necessary documents, records and administrative support.Highlighting the sensitive nature of the issue, Pujari underscored the importance of adopting a coordinated approach based on legal facts, historical documents, census data and administrative records.He emphasised that effective coordination between the concerned departments, legal experts and the district administration would be essential to strengthen Odisha’s position and advance the process towards a lasting resolution.
