Even as politics over the border dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh heats up with the Kotia group of villages once again in focus, the Naveen Patnaik government remains committed not only to protecting the state’s territorial integrity but also ensuring development in all its areas, however remote.
A good example of this is the Kotia panchayat itself where projects worth Rs.150 crore, including a school and a health centre, have been implemented.
The state government has, thus, sought to frustrate its Andhra Pradesh counterpart’s expansionist designs in this border region of Odisha with development that has convinced the local residents about just how deeply the Chief Minister cares for them. Patnaik is not only aware of their problems but is also making conscious efforts to resolve them. As the people of this remote belt in Koraput district are already reaping the fruits of development, they have stopped believing in the misleading propaganda of Andhra officials who are reportedly gearing up to organize panchayat elections.
The Kotia dispute is an old one and the ruling Biju Janata Dal government has handled it remarkably well despite occasional criticism from the opposition parties. Sometime ago, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had urged Patnaik to seek the Centre’s intervention to resolve border rows and also advised him to convene an all-party meeting on the issue. He also wanted him to seek inputs from the state’s intelligentsia and civil society members.
However, Pradhan need not have worried on this account as the five-time Chief Minister remains firm about not making any compromises on the issue of Odisha’s territorial integrity. His government has always maintained a strict vigil on state’s borders and never allowed any of its neighbours to encroach even an inch of land. Even in the case of river water disputes and problems related to major dam projects on the border, the Chief Minister has been quite firm about safeguarding the interests of Odisha.
An excellent example of this is the stand taken by his government on the Polavaram dispute. Patnaik has made it known to the Centre that the Polavaram multipurpose project coming up across the border in Andhra Pradesh will inundate several tribal villages in Odisha’s Malkangiri district if allowed to go ahead in its present form. Odisha remains firm about not accepting the project unless its concerns are addressed.
Equally firm has been Patnaik’s stand on the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh. Right from the beginning, his government has maintained that the structures erected on the river unilaterally by Chhattisgarh government on its side would adversely affect Odisha. With Patnaik refusing to budge from his stance, the Centre was forced to constitute a tribunal to resolve the dispute.
The Chief Minister, thus, remains committed to Odisha’s protection and development – in equal measure and in all senses of those words.
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