Bhubaneswar, 31st July 2025: In December last year, Odisha Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari had stated that the BJP-led state government would consider increasing the number of blocks in the state. However, that block reorganization process now appears dormant at the government level.
Against this backdrop, villagers of Kotia—an area frequently in the news due to the border dispute with Andhra Pradesh—have once again demanded that Kotia be granted block status. They argue that if Kotia is officially declared a block, the boundary conflict will no longer persist.
Apart from this major demand, the villagers have submitted 21 additional written demands to the government. Kotia Sarpanch Liu Gemel has urged the government to immediately fulfill all these demands.
During the recent Rath Yatra festival, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, and other local elected representatives had visited Kotia.
There, a delegation led by Sarpanch Liu Gemel submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minister, urging the declaration of Kotia as a block, along with the other 21 demands.
The 21 Demands Include:
- Concrete housing (pucca houses) in every village of Kotia Panchayat
- Safe drinking water facilities
- Check gates at Neredi, Walsa, and Fatusineri to protect the border
- Formation of village committees in each village
- Construction of office buildings for ward members
- Establishment of playgrounds in every village
- Ashram schools at Fatusineri for students
- Construction of embankments to prevent water flow from hills
- Employment for educated youth
- Pension schemes with amounts higher than those provided by Andhra Pradesh, etc.
Villagers claim that if these demands are met, they will not be lured by Andhra Pradesh’s attractive schemes. Sarpanch Gemel stated that without local public support, Andhra will be afraid to infiltrate the area.
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