Jeypore, 18th Sept 2025: The Gaon Sath (Mate) Sangha Joint Action Committee, Odisha Pradesh, has submitted a demand letter to the Koraput District Collector, Manoj Satyawan Mahajan. The Gaon Sath (Mate) members stated that on 31st July, a letter was sent to the district administration requesting information on how many Gaon Sath (Mates) are working in each block by the Panchayat Drinking Water Department across 60 Panchayats. However, the district administration has not provided this information.
When asked, the Chief Development Officer of the District Council stated that letters were sent to the BDOs. However, the BDOs reported that they have not received any such letters from the office of the Chief Development Officer. This lack of coordination between the district administration and block administration has caused dissatisfaction among the Gaon Sath (Mates), as they are unable to access their information.
Due to the unavailability of the Gaon Sath (Mate) data with the government, the members are facing difficulties in their work. Some unscrupulous contractors are taking advantage of this situation. There are approximately 3,000 Gaon Sath (Mates) across 14 blocks in the district.
If the district administration fails to provide the data of the Gaon Sath (Mates) within the next 7 days (by the 11th), the members have threatened to stage a sit-in protest in front of the District Collector’s office for an indefinite period.
Present at the meeting were Mangala Sai Bhitar, Chairman; Amar Hantal, Editor; Sushanta Neel Kamal, Vice Chairman; Narasingh Nayak, Editor; Chandra Gunda; Ravi Gadava; along with other members of the Mate Sangha, including Krishna Chandra Gaon Sath (Mate).
The members stated that unless their demands are met, they will proceed with their protest.
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