Pottangi: The long-running Kotia border dispute between Odisha and Andhra has intensified after Andhra Pradesh Police established a checkpoint and temporary camp in Uparasembi village, leaving police personnel from both states stationed within the disputed panchayat.
According to local sources, police from Andhra Pradesh’s Parvathipuram Manyam district Friday set up a temporary police post and checkpoint in Uparasembi village. Salur Circle Inspector and Station House Officer P. Ramakrishna, accompanied by police personnel, visited the village, interacted with residents and reviewed the situation before the camp was established.
The latest development comes amid a series of recent incidents that have renewed tensions in the disputed region claimed by both states. Following the establishment of the checkpoint, Andhra Pradesh police reportedly visited the Odis ha Police outpost in Kotia and collected solar panels that had earlier been seized by the Pottangi administration from Uparasembi village.
The materials were subsequently handed over to local residents. Odisha officials later visited the village to assess the situation after receiving reports of the Andhra Pradesh police deployment. Earlier, the Pottangi administration had seized solar infrastructure materials allegedly being installed in Uparasembi village under an Andhra Pradesh government initiative and handed them over to Kotia police.
In another development, a mobile medical unit from Andhra Pradesh arrived in Kotia to provide health care services. However, officials from the Pottangi administration and Kotia police intervened and persuaded the medical team to return, citing jurisdictional concerns.
Within 24 hours of that incident, Andhra Pradesh police returned to Uparasembi village and established the temporary checkpoint and police camp. Odisha already maintains a permanent police station in Kotia and has deployed police personnel at a checkpoint near the local health centre to monitor movement in the area.
The fresh deployment by Andhra Pradesh has further highlighted the continuing administrative contest over the region. Pottangi Tehsildar Devendra Bahadur Singh Dharua said the administration was aware of the development and heading to the village to assess the situation. “We have received information about the matter and are proceeding to Uparasembi village.
The facts will become clear once we reach the spot,” he said. The presence of police personnel from both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh within the same panchayat has drawn attention to the continuing sensitivity of the Kotia border dispute, which has remained a point of contention between the two neighbouring states for years.