Andhra, Odisha tug-of-war over 21 Kotia villages

The decades-old dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha over control of 21 villages in Kotia Panchayat along the inter-state border has flared up again after the Odisha government conducted a census in the villages in April.

Tensions escalated after Odisha Police arrested two tribal men from Eguva Simbi village for allegedly not cooperating with the census exercise. The two were later released following the intervention of Salur TDP MLA Sandhya Rani.

In response, the Andhra government also ordered a census in the disputed area. The rivalry deepened further after a private agency engaged by the Andhra installed solar panels under the PM Surya Ghar Bijli Yojana at the homes of six tribal families in Eguva Simbi village on Wednesday. The following day, Odisha officials visited the village to inquire about the installations.


"We went to verify whether the beneficiaries had received the panels as individual benefits. We do not interfere, however, we have also decided to install solar panels on the rooftops of all PM Awas beneficiaries in the village," Debendra Bahadur Dharua, Tehsildar of Pottangi in Odisha, told ET.