PRADHAN WARNS ODISHA GOVT OVER AP HOLDING RURAL POLLS IN STATE TERRITORY

BHUBANESWAR: A day after neighbouring Andhra Pradesh conducted rural polls in some villages under Odisha territory, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan Sunday expressed concern over the matter and cautioned the state government that situation may aggravate if required pre-emptive measures were not taken to resolve the inter-state dispute.

Pradhan in a statement said that though the Odisha government has taken legal recourse to resolve the border discord, it should be taken to a conclusive end.

“We may encounter more worse situations if timely measures are not taken at proper time,” he said, adding the AP holding panchayat polls in the border villages by including people of Koraput, Ganjam and Gajapati, has certainly created bitterness between the two states.

Ignoring opposition from Odisha government, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday conducted gram panchayat polls in Kotia area of Koraput district, the region on which both the states have been staking their claim.

Even though district magistrate of Koraput Abdaal Akhtar had written a letter to his Vizianagaram counterpart requesting not to hold elections in the disputed Kotia region as the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court, the Andhra government set up polling booth at Potu Senari and voting was held under a thick security cover.

The Odisha government had approached the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh for holding panchayat polls in Kotia and the Apex Court had on Friday served notice to the Andhra government and posted the case for February 19.

Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, said the state government should give utmost priority to the border villages by implementing welfare schemes.

“It is our responsibility to protect the boundary of our state and ensure that our brothers and sisters living in the border villages avail all the benefits of the welfare schemes of the state government,” Pradhan said.