BHUBANESWAR: Amid renewed political concern over Andhra Pradesh’s move to hold panchayat elections in disputed Kotia, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday responded to leader of opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, urging all sides to exercise “restraint, responsibility and respect for the judicial process” in dealing with the long-standing interstate boundary dispute.Responding to Naveen’s October 19 letter on the Kotia group of villages in Koraput district, Majhi said the area has been an integral part of Odisha since the formation of the separate state in 1936 and asserted that his govt remained firmly committed to safeguarding Odisha’s “territorial integrity and legitimate interests”.
CM Mohan Charan Majhi’s letter
At the same time, Majhi accused the former chief minister of approaching the sensitive dispute from a political standpoint.“In this context, I am constrained to observe that the contents of your letter appear to approach this sensitive issue from a political standpoint rather than advance constructive and legally tenable solutions for its resolution,” Majhi wrote.
CM stresses legal, constitutional route
Majhi said the state govt has consistently defended Odisha’s territorial interests through lawful and constitutional means while giving priority to the development of Kotia and adjoining areas.He referred to the constitution of a committee headed by revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari and comprising senior officials to oversee integrated development of the Kotia gram panchayat areas.The revenue minister, along with other ministers and senior officials, has also been visiting the region to review developmental needs and facilitate coordinated action, the CM said.“In view of the sensitivity of this long-standing Inter-State matter, all concerned must act with restraint, responsibility and respect for the judicial process,” Majhi wrote.He said his govt would continue to safeguard Odisha’s territorial integrity before appropriate legal and constitutional forums while working for the socio-economic development of people in Kotia and adjoining areas.Majhi also sought Naveen’s inputs on resolving the decades-old dispute.“I would appreciate to receive your constructive suggestions, if any, for resolution of this long-pending issue, for consideration of the govt,” he wrote.
Kotia panel meets Tuesday
The CM’s response came on a day the 16-member Kotia committee headed by Pujari was scheduled to meet to review progress on various plans drawn up for the contentious region.Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said the committee would take stock of development works carried out in the region over the past two years and review future plans.Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das was scheduled to lead a Congress delegation to Kotia on Tuesday to meet residents and local officials and assess the situation.Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam wrote to Governor Braj Mohan Ram and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, seeking details of the committee’s recommendations and urging the state govt to engage with Andhra Pradesh to resolve the long-pending dispute.
Decades-old boundary dispute
Kotia has long been a source of friction between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, which have competing claims over 21 of the 28 villages in the panchayat.The dispute dates back to the 1960s, with both states seeking to strengthen their administrative presence in the area through welfare schemes and development initiatives.The Odisha govt has recently filed a contempt plea against Andhra Pradesh, alleging that the neighbouring state violated a 2006 Supreme Court order directing maintenance of status quo in the disputed area.
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