Pottangi: Residents of the border villages in Pottangi block of Odisha’s Koraput district are facing confusion due to overlapping administrative activities by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Officials from neighboring Andhra Pradesh March 31 visited Kotia panchayat to conduct Aadhaar KYC updates by assembling residents in areas with network connectivity.
This action led to tensions between the Odisha government, Koraput district authorities, and the Pottangi block administration. Eighteen days later, on April 17, the Pottangi block administration initiated its own Aadhaar KYC process in several villages under Kotia panchayat. The dual KYC processes have caused confusion among villagers, who are uncertain about the necessity of undergoing Aadhaar verification twice.
A source informed that indicate that Pottangi block officials conducted Aadhaar updates for women in front of the primary school in Fatusineri. Similarly, in Phagunsineri and Uparsembi, women were seen updating their KYC at Anganwadi centers, holding their Aadhaar cards.
During the KYC drive by Andhra Pradesh, men, women, and children participated. In contrast, the current initiative by Odisha focuses solely on women, leading to further confusion among residents.
The Odisha-led program is scheduled to run from Thursday to Saturday. Border villagers have questioned whether this KYC drive is linked to the Subhadra Scheme or other government initiatives. On the first day of the program, 324 KYC updates were completed.
When contacted, Pottangi Block Development Officer Ramakrishna Nayak stated that the Aadhaar KYC of 618 women, who had previously received benefits under the Subhadra Scheme, is being updated. He added that further programs would be conducted based on directives from higher authorities. Currently, only women’s KYC is being processed.
It can be mentioned here that the Kotia region comprises 21 villages claimed by both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, leading to administrative overlaps and jurisdictional disputes.
PNN
