Bhubaneswar: Odisha and Andhra Pradesh will form a joint institutional mechanism to resolve various bilateral problems such as Kotia, Polavaram and Neradi Barrage, among others, as the main minister of the two countries has decided to continue the inheritance of cooperation.
Andhra Pradesh YS Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, who visited the state on Tuesday, met with ODISHI colleague Naveen Patnaik at the State Convention Center to discuss shared interest issues.
Border disputes related to the Kotia village group, the construction of a series of neradi in the Vansadhara River, the Jhanjavathi project, Polavaram, water release and cooperation BahudaMela and the upper hydroelectric projects of Sileru is the main problem taken during the meeting, lasts for about 45 minutes , the official statement said.
“It was completed that the countries would continue inheritance of reciprocal cooperation and in the true spirit of Federalism discussed the problem between the two countries,” said a joint statement issued by the main ministers.
The statement said the Head of Secretary of the two countries would form an institutional mechanism to discuss outstanding issues and find solutions for the best interest of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The dispute on the top of the Kotia Village group was a bone of dispute between the two neighboring countries since 1956.
Cluster of the village of Kotia under Pottang Block in Coraput Regency has 28 villages where 21 villages are in the disputed zone.
Despite the border dispute first reached the Supreme Court in 1968 for this issue, the APEX court had ordered the status quo in this case in 2006.
This reappeared after the Government of Andhra Pradesh conducted Pancayat polls in the three disputed villages this year.
In August this year, the Supreme Court had asked the state to resolve the problem of Kotia through bilateral discussions because both approached the APEX court.
In the construction of the polavaram project built on the Godavari River, Odisha has opposed the design and height of the dam because the project in its design is currently captured to soak the large area including 25 tribal residences in embarrassed tehsil districts in Malkangiri.
This problem is also sub-selling in the APEX court since 2007 even when work happens quickly.
When Andhra Pradesh needed around 103 hectares of land for the construction of Neradi Barrage on the Vansadhara River which will also create irrigation facilities for more than 5,000 hectares of land in Odisha, Jagan seeking Naveen cooperation.
Pradesh’s Minister of Andhra’s head was also seeking cooperation from his Odisha partner at the initial settlement of the Jhanjavathi project because the project would flood part of the land in Odisha.
The two ministerial heads also agreed to extend support to deal with the issue of left-wing extremism and marijuana cultivation and work to establish seats for Odia and Telugu at Bedkar, Srikakulam and universities, respectively.
Appointment of language teachers in schools in the border district of two states and supply of books is also discussed.