BHUBANESWAR: Alleging that the State government had not given due attention to the border villages, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik on Friday demanded that people of the State should know the reality.
“It is high time that your government should come out openly to let the people of the State know the reality pertaining to the dispute over villages in border areas of the State and what plans it has to deal with the situation,” Patnaik said in a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Stating that there are 76 villages in the border districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Balasore that face border disputes with the neighbouring states, Patnaik alleged that the inaction and callousness on the part of government has led to the situation.
Holding of panchayat elections by Andhra Pradesh in three disputed villages of Kotia gram panchayat is a matter of grave concern for Odias. Such an incident happened due to lack of timely intervention by the State government, Patnaik said.
When Andhra Pradesh started the process of conducting panchayat election, the State government could have raised the issue in appropriate forum, which it did not,” he said.
Patnaik said due to lack timely intervention, Odisha is also going to lose its right over Mahanadi water.