BHUBANESWAR: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take timely action to safeguard the geographical boundary of Odisha before it is too late.
Expressing deep concern over conduct of panchayat elections by Andhra Pradesh government in villages of Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam districts, Pradhan said the border dispute with the neighbouring state is turning bitter.
In a series of tweets, the Union Minister said, “The Saturday attempt of Andhra Pradesh administration to conduct panchayat elections in border villages by crossing Odisha boundary is a matter of great concern.”
He warned if timely action is not taken, the situation may worsen further and Odisha will have a tough time to repair it.
“Though the government has taken recourse to legal remedy, I hope it will take the fight to a logical end,” he said.
He urged the Chief Minister to direct the local administration to take care of the development of border villages and strengthen the delivery mechanism to ensure welfare schemes reach the doorstep of the people.
“It is the responsibility of all the people to safeguard geographical border of our State and the common drive should be to bind the brother and sisters residing in the bordering areas with us,” Pradhan said. Pradhan’s concern came a day after the Andhra Pradesh government held panchayat elections in some villages of Kotia under tight security and supervision of Andhra police and revenue officials.