Odisha presses on amid Kotia conundrum

KORAPUT: Singri Hareka appears happy with what he has seen in the last two years. “There are now good roads to reach the villages here. One has to see to believe it,” says the native of Phatu Seneri, one of the three villages in the Kotia panchayat which has been grabbing headlines ever since Andhra Pradesh administration shocked Odisha by holding rural elections on February 13.

Hareka credits Odisha government for the good work. “They have put in the hard work to give us connectivity which is key,” he says. In the same breath, he appreciates Andhra for sending in 35 kg PDS rice home, without fail.

“Odisha government provides just 5 kg per head in two months interval,” he says. That primarily sums up the moods in the 21 villages where a border dispute is raging again.

Caught between two states for over seven decades, the villagers are in a dilemma. Amidst a legal wrangle, they are now getting attention from both the states.

Welfare programmes and infrastructure development are picking up pace. It was not the case till three years back. When the then Vizianagaram Collector launched Janmabhoomi scheme in January 2018, Odisha was served a rude shock because Kotia had remained far beyond the administrative sight.

Forced to up the ante, it rolled out development programmes. In the ongoing phase, focus has been on development of health, education, drinking water, communication and public transport system.

The State government has already spent Rs 19 crore for construction of  roads, bridges, market yards, bank services, government bus service, mobile connectivity, a 10-bed hospital, official staff quarters, revenue and panchayat office as well as police station out of its  Rs 150 crore special package it had announced.

The development notwithstanding, villagers remain undecided. That’s because the Andhra administration appears to have its nose ahead so far as the race for pumping in the goodies is concerned.  

Villagers say the neighbouring state provides old age pension of Rs 2,250 per head per month whereas Odisha pays only Rs 500. If children from Kotia want to join Andhra schools, the government releases Rs 15,000 to bank account of mothers, besides providing school uniform, shoes, books and notes.

Odisha’s provision of school uniforms, shoes and free textbooks do not seem alluring enough though it pays Rs 240 to girls and Rs 180 to boys from SC and ST categories towards yearly stipend for Class VI onwards besides mid day meal for all categories of students. Andhra provides Rs 13,000 for land development to those having forest land patta. 

Bisu Gamel, a resident of Talganjipadar village says Odisha brought in electricity to Kotia, Ganjeipadar and Tala Paniki where energy charges are collected but AP provides electricity for free to 15 disputed villages.

Some villages like Mohipani and Simageda still rue the absence of power. Observers say an important factor ignored by Odisha government is the fact that more than 60 per cent population in Kotia belongs to Dora community while the rest are tribals.

Divided into three categories - Konda Dora, Numa Dora and Moka Dora - the community is given tribal status by Andhra whereas Odisha considers them SEBC which deprives them of welfare programmes.
The recent overtures of AP appear to have made Koraput administration determined to develop Kotia as a model panchayat.

“With the existing programmes, the administration has a roadmap to strengthen livelihood support for Kotia through different projects. There is also need to create cultural and literary bonding with people,” says Collector Abdaal Akhtar.

He also plans to generate employment opportunity through tourism development. Social activist Pratap Choudhury feels Odisha must form at least three panchyats for the 21 villages for smooth administration and implementation of welfare programmes. The local officials must visit regularly to bring back the confidence, he adds.