Not just Karnataka, Maharashtra border with Telangana fuzzy too

Karnataka is not the only state with which Maharashtra has an unresolved border issue. For the past 50-odd years, there has been no clarity over who controls 13 villages sitting on the border of Maharashtra and Telangana. The last official consultation between the two states was way back in 1997 when Andhra Pradesh had not been bifurcated.

Of the 13, residents of six villages - Parandoli, Kota, Nokewada (Maharajuguda), Bolapatar, Gouri and Isapur - vote in both states, get ration cards and other benefits from both.

Their main complaint, however, is that they have not been given documents (pattas) for their lands. The 2011 census had put the population of the 13 villages at 10,000. It has increased by around 3,000 since then. Also, a new village has come up - Mukkadamguda.

"We don't have land pattas and have not been getting Rythu Bandhu scheme benefits of the Telangana government. Although our village has a large Scheduled Caste population, we have not been getting Dalit Bandhu either," Limbodas, sarpanch of Mukkadamguda told TOI. He supports the BRS and says that most of the residents of his 1,200-strong village are non-tribals.

Village leaders say they want development and stress this whenever elected representatives from both states visit them.

Sarpanch of Anarpally village, Sesharao Rathod, who backs the Congress, says due to inter-state border issues and the fact that survey was not done, they have not been getting any poramboke pattas and some have got ROFR pattas for forest land before bifurcation of the state.

"Though some people get benefits like Shadi Mubarak, major schemes like 2-BHK housing for the poor are not taken up in our villages," Rathod told TOI. He said after the formation of Telangana, the government stopped giving pahanis (basic revenue records) for lands.

Komarambheem-Asifabad district additional collector B Rajesham said attempts were made by the united AP government to resolve the inter-state border issue and later then state government approached court since Maharashtra did not agree to some proposals to amicably settle the issue.