BHUBANESWAR: As visit of Andhra Pradesh officials to Kotia group of villages in Koraput district has become a regular affair, Odisha Government though late has woken up to the situation and decided to take up a slew of development projects in the area.Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty, who reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting here on Friday, has asked the officials to ensure that some enduring development work is completed in the area within a year. Development work in Kotia gram panchayat has been started as per the recommendations of a five-member committee headed by KBK chief administrator SP Thakur.
Official sources said steps are being taken to upgrade the residential Sevashram School in Kotia to a high school and construct a 300-seat ST boys’ and a 200-seat ST girls’ hostel. Besides, the Rural Development Department has been asked to construct roads to link all the 28 villages in the panchayat to the headquarters. A bridge is also being constructed on a priority basis to make nine villages accessible. Tender process has already started for construction of some of the roads. Meanwhile, the State Government has filled up five out of six vacant ward members in the panchayat. Kotia gram panchayat has 13 wards. Besides, a weekly haat has been started every Wednesday near the panchayat office from March 21. Official sources claimed that the office of the revenue inspector is functioning from the revenue bungalow at Kotia from February 19.
The Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) has submitted a proposal to upgrade the primary health centre at Kotia to a 10-bed hospital. Besides, two sub-centres are also proposed to be opened in gram panchayat to make health facilities accessible to the villagers. The district administration has prepared a blue print for construction of an office complex to house all required government offices, bank and post office and construction of quarters for government employees is also under consideration.
It was decided that the revenue department will provide land for construction of police station at Kotia within a month. The police station will made operational within a year. The BSNL authorities have been requested to provide mobile services in the gram panchayat. The Government has assured BSNL all help for construction of a mobile tower in this regard.A target was also fixed to provide electricity to all villages by September-end. Block development officer (BDO) and Tehsildar have been appointed for Pottangi under whose jurisdiction Kotia gram panchayat falls. Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan and senior officials were present.