Kotia (Koraput): In order to assess the ground situation amid the ongoing territorial dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, a fact-finding team led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Bhakta Charan Das visited Kotia panchayat in Koraput district on Tuesday.

The Congress delegation, accompanied by party MLAs from southern Odisha, workers and Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, held a meeting with locals at the Kotia panchayat office.

During the visit, the Congress leaders accused the state government of failing to prevent alleged interference by Andhra Pradesh in Kotia and other areas along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.

The OPCC Chief alleged the situation had deteriorated after the Congress government left office, claiming successive governments had failed to demonstrate adequate commitment to protecting Odisha’s interests in the region.

Das alleged inducements and welfare-related measures were contributing to confusion among locals and complicating efforts to resolve the dispute. He called for a special budget for Kotia and demanded an all-party meeting to formulate a coordinated strategy to protect Odisha’s territorial interests.

He also warned the Congress would mobilise people for a demonstration outside the Odisha Legislative Assembly if the issue remained unresolved.

Das said the party would extend full cooperation if the state government initiated meaningful steps to resolve the Kotia dispute. He stressed the issue required coordinated political action and sustained development initiatives rather than confrontation between residents of the two states.

Referring to former Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, the Congress leaders said Kotia had received greater attention during his tenure and alleged the situation had become increasingly complicated since then.

The Congress leaders also raised concerns over reports of voting activities by Andhra Pradesh in the disputed area, questioning the state government’s response. They further demanded an investigation into how some residents allegedly possessed two Aadhaar cards.

Koraput MP alleges development weakened

Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka said the 28 villages of Kotia had been identified as model villages in parliamentary records and asserted he had raised the issue in Parliament. He alleged that development efforts in the region had weakened and urged the state government to take stronger measures to safeguard the interests of locals.

The Congress leaders also referred to the wider boundary concerns along Koraput district’s border with Andhra Pradesh and the Polavaram project, asserting Odisha’s territorial and resource interests must be protected.

The Congress delegation maintained people living in the border region should receive adequate public services and development assistance, while alleging Andhra Pradesh should not use welfare measures to influence residents or claim control over the disputed territory.

The visit comes amid renewed political attention to the long-standing Kotia dispute, with Odisha and Andhra Pradesh contesting administrative control over a cluster of villages along their common border.