Andhra villagers block Pottangi-Arku road

JEYPORE: A fresh row has erupted over the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border delineation with residents of four villages on the latter’s side imposing a blockade on the important Pottangi-Arku road.As per reports, villagers of Dekapadar, Badlam, Kolaput and Busiguntha on the AP side blocked the road by placing stones over positioning of a signboard demarcating borders of Odisha and neighbouring state. 

The border plate had been put up by administrative officials decades back and was being maintained well until last week when residents of the four AP villages along with local revenue officials of Visakhapatnam district lifted it from the original position and pushed it 500 metres back into the Odisha side.

As soon as the news spread, villagers of Sunabeda informed the matter to Pottangi block officials. Subsequently on Monday, an official team comprising Koraput sub collector LM Kohar, Pottangi MLA Pitam Padhi and Sunabeda DSP Niranjan Behera went to Sunabeda and lifted the border signboard from new place as laid by AP officials and put it back in the original place. 

Soon after, residents of the bordering AP villages retaliated and broke the signboard as a mark of protest. They had even threatened to block the road which passes through the disputed border. Sources said for the last three days, villagers from the AP side have been coming over to Odisha side and warning Sunabeda locals not to reposition the border plate put up by them.

On Thursday, residents of Sunabeda found that the villagers on the AP side have blocked the road by laying stones. Sunabeda SDPO Niranjana Behara informed that Koraput sub collector has been informed about the dispute for further action. “The border dispute will be solved after talks between revenue officials on both the sides,” he added.