Amidst an ongoing dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to claim jurisdiction rights over Kotia gram panchayat under Pottangi block in Koraput district, the neighbouring State is now opposed to the construction of a school and a temple in bordering villages.
According to reports, on Saturday, a school construction and repairing of an existing school project were underway by the Odisha Government at Tadibalsa village in Kotia at an estimated cost of Rs 1,18,98,000. But police personnel of Andhra Pradesh interrupted the construction works claiming that the village comes in the Andhra periphery. The concerned contractor informed it to the Junior Engineer (JE), who brought the matter to notice of the Koraput Collector for his intervention.
Source said the construction works resumed in the village following a discussion between the Collectors of Koraput and Vizianagaram over telephone.
Asked by the Koraput Collector, Pottangi Tehsildar Haripada Mandal along with local police station IIC Koibalya Seth reached the site in Kotia and monitored the situation.
On Friday, the Andhra authorities had opposed construction of a Jagannath temple at Nerellavalasa, a bordering village in Koraput district. Saluru Mandal Revenue Officer K Srinivasarao, Parvathipuram Deputy Superintendent of Police A Subash of Andhra Government went to Nerellavalasa and stopped the temple construction stating that it was ‘unauthorised’.
According to media report, at least 20 construction workers were engaged for the construction of the temple and they had to complete the structure in three hours. Srinivasarao was quoted as saying, “According to the Supreme Court verdict, nobody has the right to construct permanent constructions in the disputed region. However, people of Odisha violated the verdict. We stopped the temple construction.”