Koraput: In a bid to save the villagers of Kotia from alienation and from getting drawn to Andhra Pradesh, the district rural development department has started constructing a road between Kotia and Dhulipadar village in Kotia panchayat.
Earlier, a concrete road from Neredibalsa to Dhulipadar was built by the Andhra Pradesh government. However, sources claimed that the Odisha government would expand the road. The road connectivity would boost the gram panchayat’s development.
The Koraput district administration has initiated various developmental works in Kotia, such as education and health facilities, setting up of a cell phone tower, renovation of a weekly market and launching of Biju Awas Yojana. Now, the road construction work began Sunday, said District Planning Committee President and Pottangi MLA Prafulla Kumar Pangi.
Eyeing the villages, the Andhra government had started reaching out to them a few years ago by taking up development projects in the panchayat by constructing roads, ensuring power supply, establishing Anganwadis, distributing PDS cards and old age pensions to the villagers. On the other hand, Odisha has taken up some development projects like schools, roads and drinking water in the panchayat.
Later, the Odisha government had announced a Rs 150-crore package for overall development of the gram panchayat. Following which, the road construction work has started. Similarly, bus services to the mineral-rich Kotia gram panchayat were also started in January last year.
DIG Ashis Singh (South Western Range) and SP Kanwar Vishal Singh had visited Kotia panchayat and identified a three-acre plot for the establishment of a police station and a police camp July 13, 2018. The establishment of a BSF camp is in the offing. During the visit, the senior police officers had also held discussions with the sarpanch, ward members and villagers over the law and order situation and Maoist problem.
Apart from this, the Centre had also started granting funds for the development of some disputed territories of Kotia panchayat. The Union government had sanctioned Rs 30 lakh in the first phase for construction of six roads that include connecting Phagunasineri-Doliamba, Kotia-Katraguda and Madkar-Kotia.
PNN