Andhra officials remove Odisha govt signage at Machkund; BJP slams Koraput admin

Bhubaneswar: The highhandedness of officials of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh continued in the border areas of Odisha’s of Koraput district amid the ongoing territorial dispute between the two states.

In the latest incident, some officials of Andhra Pradesh reportedly removed a few signage put up by the Koraput district administration near Machkund hydroelectric project located on Odisha-Andhra border.

Moreover, the officials of Andhra allegedly removed a welcome plaque installed by the Koraput administration near the dam, sources said.

Though the incident took place around two-three days back, the local administration did not take any step to reinstall the signage, alleged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Koraput district.

The BJP leaders further alleged that the state government and the Koraput administration have failed to protect the border areas from encroachment by Andhra Pradesh.

“Some officials from Andhra had removed the signage put up by Odisha government near Machkund at Jalaput village around 72 hours ago. The district administration and the state government did not take any step to reinstall the signage and lodge a protest in this regard with Andhra,” said a local BJP leader.

The BJP leaders claimed that the officials of Koraput district administration reached the spot soon after they reinstalled the signage.

“The local Tehsildar told us that he came to know about the incident from television news,” added the BJP leader.