BJP MP and national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi suggested the establishment of Kotia Development Agency to expedite developmental work in the 21 villages of Kotia panchayat bordering Andhra Pradesh.

Sarangi, a bureaucrat-turned-politician who was the collector of Koraput, charged that the Odisha government had failed to respond strongly to the aggressive campaign of Andhra Pradesh government officers and political leaders staking claim over Kotia villages.

Advertisement

Kotia is part of Odisha and yet the neighbouring state had held rural elections, she said.

She said there was a need to recruit teachers to teach Odia and local languages in all 21 villages in Kotia and the State should work for the social and economic development of the people there.

Talking to media persons, Aparajita Sarangi said the government should take steps to address the drainage problem in the cities and prevent the rise of siltation in the Kolab and other reservoirs.

She assured me that she would take up the issue of vacancies in the Central University at Koraput.