Odisha: Chief Secy visits Kotia, reviews developmental projects

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : Feb 26, 2023 at 11:13 PM

Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra today visited Kotia group of villages and Deomali in Koraput district of Odisha and reviewed the progress of various developmental projects.

The Chief Secretary took stock of eco-tourism project at Deomali, the highest mountain peak in Odisha.

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The Chief Secretary later visited Kotia group of villages under Pottangi block of Koraput and inspected the developmental projects being implemented by the state government.

The Chief Secretary visited the strawberry cultivation by villager Basana Gemel and honeybee farming by a women self-help group (SHG) at Kotia.

Mahapatra directed the officials concerned to provide incentives for strawberry and honeybee farming in the locality, sources said.

The Chief Secretary inaugurated a guesthouse of Forest department and a cold storage unit at Kotia. He also inaugurated an Anganwadi centre in Ranasingh area of Koraput and distributed uniforms and study materials among the children, sources added.

Mahapatra inaugurated a millet processing unit of Mission Shakti department at Rajput under Semiliguda block of Koraput. He laid foundation for an eco resort at Galibadar.

The Chief Secretary directed the officials to expedite the developmental projects in the district.

Among others, Koraput Collector Abdaal M Akhtar, Sub-Collector Benudhar Sabar, Divisional Forest Officer Amitarani Ray and Pottangi BDO Soumya Sarthak Mishra among others were present during the Chief Secretary’s visit to Deomali and Kotia.

Notably, both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are engaged in a five-decade-long tussle over the ownership of Kotia group of villages. Both the states have been claiming their territorial control over Kotia since early 1960s.

In recent years, the Odisha government has introduced several measures for the development of the villagers of Kotia. It has taken up several projects to provide better road communication, drinking water, schooling facilities at the border villages.