Chitrakonda: In an attempt to deflect the attention of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh from grabbing land belonging to Odisha, the district education department admitted 14 children of Chitrakonda Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district at Badapada residential school, Saturday.
The children including six girls are natives of Jumadanga village under Dhuliputa panchayat of Swabhiman Anchal. Andhra Pradesh is reportedly trying to wrest the villages in the Swabhiman Anchal of the state.
The development comes after the block education officer (BEO) Gayatri Devi visited the village and interacted with the villagers regarding their problems. The BEO during the visit assured the villagers that arrangements will be done for the education of the children.
Accordingly, the BEO accompanied by the officials arrived at the village Saturday and admitted 14 children including eight boys and six girls in the Badapada residential school. The children during their admission were given books, copies, uniform and shoes free of cost.
As a result, the children will not have to go anymore to Telugu medium school. They can now study in their own mother tongue in the residential school where they have been admitted, the BEO said while speaking to media persons.
Reports said that the Andhra Pradesh government is trying to claim Jumadanga village as its own territory. So it is luring the villagers with various development plans and offerings. The village is on the fringes of Malkangiri district and Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh is also going ahead in implementing the development plans in the area despite being illegal. The neighbouring state recently conducted panchayat elections in the area when its officials and candidates pleaded with the voters to participate in the election by making attractive promises to get their votes.
On being informed, the district officials accompanied by the BEO visited the village and held discussions with the villagers about their various problems. The villagers talked about their problems while stating their children are being forced to study in the Telugu school as there are no educational institutions in the village.
The visiting officials took the matter seriously and admitted the children in the residential school. ABEO Anjan Choudhury, CRCC Pitambar Khara, former CRCC Nitai Ray accompanied the BEO during their visit to the village. Villagers Nagesh Khil, Sitaram Hantal, Ram Hantal participated in the meeting with the officials on behalf of the residents.
PNN