Rayagada: Andhra Pradesh carried out concrete road laying work at Palamtulsi village in Rayagada district of Odisha Sunday afternoon.
According to sources, the Andhra government also put up concrete poles on the side of the road at Palamtulsi village connecting it with two of its own bordering villages namely Kitilang and Jirang.
The move received vehement opposition from local residents as Palamtulsi villagers vowed not to let Andhra enter into Odisha’s territory.
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“The officials of Andhra government had demarcated the area and erected poles for road construction. However, we decided not to let Andhra enter our territory and have removed the poles,” Raju Pual of Palamtulsi village stated.
“Residents in border areas of Odisha do not get basic facilities from the government. The administration turns blind eyes on the problems of the residents. Therefore, I moved to Andhra Pradesh to get better facilities,” a resident named Siri Puala who has already shifted and now settled in Andhra side of the border expressed.
Reacting to this, Rayagada Sub-Collector Pratap Chandra Pradhan said, “We have advised the villagers not to panic. We are vigilant on the issue and if the villagers inform us about such activities, we will take action immediately and stop such works.”
Notably, the neighbouring southern-state had earlier carried out concrete road laying work under Kashinagar block in Gajapati district of Odisha February 20.
However, the illegal road laying work was objected by Gajapati district administration on the spot. The administration also seized several bags of cement, construction materials and mixer machines being used at the site.
PNN