Odisha has border disputes involving 96 villages in 10 districts with four bordering States, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, informed Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty in the State Assembly in response to a question of BJP MlA Dilip Ray on Monday.
According to the Minister, seven rivers a canal and eight jungles also come under the dispute areas. The State had filed two cases, one relating to the Kotia group of 21 villages and another relating to Moramutha and its 12 hamlets, in the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh.
While Odisha lost one case (Moramutha), the Supreme Court has directed the two States to maintain status-quo in the Kotial case, the Minister said.
However, the Odisha Government has convened high-level meetings to hold discussions on Andhra Pradesh’s intrusion in Kotia area and various programmes underway by Odisha Government, the Minister said.
Besides, Kotia and Boramutha groups of villages, there 21 villages in Ganjam, 16 in Gajapati, fice in Rayagada disputed with Andhra Pradesh; six in Baleswar, eight in Mayurbhanj disputed with West Bengal; two in Mayurbhanj, five in Keonjhar and six in Sundargarh district disputed with Jharkhand and four in Nabarangpur and one in Jharsuguda disputed with Chhattisgarh.