Bhubaneswar, December 24: In a strong message to Andhra Pradesh, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday said that Kotia is an inseparable and integral part of Odisha and cautioned the neighbouring State to remain like an aunt.
“Kotia was and is in Odisha. Odisha is the mother of Kotia. Andhra Pradesh should remain like an aunt. It should not behave like a mother. An aunt can never become a mother," he said.
Pujari was speaking to media persons after chairing a review meeting on Kotia dispute.
He cautioned Andhra Pradesh against making any attempt to assert control or claim ownership over the area.
“If any officials of Andhra Pradesh trespassed into the Kotia they will be arrested,” warned Pujari.
Maintaining that Odisha has significantly strengthened its administrative presence and accelerated development work in Kotia, Pujari asserted that Andhra Pradesh would no longer be able to expand its activities in the disputed region.
“I personally visited the area to take stock of the ongoing infrastructure projects. Local MLA, public representatives, Collectors also accompanied me. Now, a sense of faith and trust have developed among the residents of Kotia towards our Government,” said Pujari.
The Minister also highlighted initiatives in education, road connectivity, and welfare programmes, including the Subhadra Yojana and ration distribution, aimed at ensuring inclusive development in the locality.
The State Government in May this year constituted a 16-member committee headed by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari to study the prevailing situation in the disputed Kotia region and submit a detailed report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The committee is formed to help define the structure of an umbrella agency which will work to ensure progress in the region while also propagating Odia language, literature, tradition, culture and festivals in the disputed gram panchayat (GPs) that both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh claim to be their own.
The dispute over 21 of total 28 GPs in Kotia dates back to the 1960s. The Supreme Court on March 30, 2006, had disposed of a suit filed by Odisha in 1968, stating that Parliament alone can determine the territorial jurisdictions of States and ordered status quo till then.
