Kotia Panchayat in Koraput, which has been in the centre of a border dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, is all set to get its maiden ambulance service from Saturday.
As per reports not only Kotia but Laxmipur, Dashamantapur, Kotapad and Narayanpatna health centres will get one each too.
The brand new ambulances have been sourced from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund and will be maintained by the concerned hospitals.
Speaking to the reporters, the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Koraput, Makarand Beura said, “Kotia is important for us so we will keep an ambulance there. Both the ambulances at Laxmipur and Mathalput are old and will be replaced.”
“Similarly, Dashamantapur and Kotapad did not have any ambulances. So they will be provided with one each today,” Beura said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Odisha government has been under serious criticism over its alleged neglect to the villages under Kotia Panchayat which share their border with Andhra Pradesh. Recently the AP government has raked up its demand to occupy the bordering villages by conducting Panchayat elections there.
Recently, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had visited Odisha and met with his counterpart CM Naveen Patnaik to discuss the Kotia dispute among other things.
It was decided after the meeting that a high-level committee comprising the Chief Secretaries of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh will set up an institutional mechanism to deliberate on the outstanding issues, including the contentious border dispute at Kotia in Koraput district, between the two neighbouring states and find a solution.
Recently, Odisha has formed an eight-member high-level committee under the chairmanship of the State Chief Secretary to find ways to resolve the outstanding border disputes with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Later, the Andhra Pradesh government had requested the Supreme Court to dispose of the contempt of court proceedings against it for violation of status quo agreed upon by the two States more than 50 years ago, mentioning both the States are heading towards a political solution. The plea was turned down by the Apex Court on Friday.