JEYPORE: Putting the month-long border dispute to rest for the time being, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Thursday agreed to maintain status quo along the inter-State boundary after a meeting by senior administrative officers of Koraput and Visakhapatnam in the bordering village of Sunabeda.
A high-level team led by Koraput Collector Madhusudan Mishra visited the disputed areas of Sunabeda and held meeting with revenue and forest officials of Pader sub-division of Visakhapatnam district.
Officials of both the states went to the old boundary where marking stones were put to demarcate inter-State borders under the Madras presidency of British India and verified the Odisha revenue settlement maps of 1956. Revenue officials of Koraput showed relevant documents of the boundary to AP officials.
Sources said, AP officials first stuck to their claim of forest boundary as per their State maps shown in GPS. Since the old border line was different from the one in GPS, it created confusion. However later, officials of both the states agreed to resolve the dispute by demarcating the border with stones as per old maps and documents.
It was also resolved that marking stones at the old boundary line will not be damaged or dislocated either by villagers or officials from both sides till demarcation is completed. Villagers and officials also agreed to maintain peace and order in the border and respect the old border line.
Koraput Collector Mishra informed that the discussion with AP officials was fruitful and the border dispute would be solved soon. “We will do a joint verification of the border soon and the boundary dispute would be sorted out with practical verification of the marking stones,” he said.
Among others, Koraput SP MK Bhamoo, Pader Sub-Collector Siba Joyti, DFO Binod Mundra and other forest and revenue officials of both the states were present. Sunabeda village has been in news for the last one month after AP officials and villagers entered 500 metres inside Odisha by shifting the border sign board. Earlier, five revenue teams including RDC (South) T Apang Ao had visited the village to resolve the crisis.