Odisha Police have intensified surveillance at three checkposts in the disputed Kotia panchayat of Koraput district as heavy rain linked to Cyclone Arnab complicates operations and officials from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh reportedly move through the area ahead of its November 3 rural polls.
Police personnel have maintained round-the-clock deployments at Neradivalasa, Harmadingi Chhack near Phatusenari and Tolo Sembi since Tuesday. Their stated purpose is to monitor vehicular movement from Andhra Pradesh and prevent election-related activities in the disputed villages.
The deployment continued despite difficult conditions in the remote, hilly border region. Pottangi block, which includes Kotia, recorded 188 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Wednesday, the highest total in Koraput district during that period. The district average was 61.02 mm, according to the district rainfall report cited in the report.
Koraput Superintendent of Police Rohit Verma said the surveillance would continue despite the weather. Four personnel are posted at each checkpost during the night, while between 10 and 12 personnel are deployed at each location during the day, he said.
“The incessant rain has made conditions difficult for our personnel, particularly as roads in the hilly terrain have become slippery. However, surveillance is on at all three locations,” Verma said.
The rain has also disrupted basic arrangements at the temporary police posts. Sunabeda Sub-Divisional Police Officer Sumitra Jena said cooking facilities had been affected, prompting Kotia police station to prepare and send food to personnel stationed at the three locations.
A temporary tent at Harmadingi Chhack was damaged by the rain, after which the personnel there were shifted to a nearby shelter. Efforts were under way to restore the tent, Jena said.
At least two platoons of police personnel have been deployed in the region. Vehicles entering Kotia are being checked, and records of their movement are being maintained, according to the report.
The heightened security follows increased activity by Andhra Pradesh officials in the disputed villages. On Monday, a police team led by a deputy superintendent of police-rank officer from Andhra Pradesh reportedly visited several villages and interacted with residents. The team was alleged to have been mobilising voters for the November 3 polls.
Kotia panchayat contains 28 villages, of which 21 have remained at the centre of a territorial dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Both states claim administrative jurisdiction over the villages, and the dispute has been pending before the Supreme Court since 1968.
The issue intensified after Andhra Pradesh conducted panchayat elections in the disputed villages in February 2021, despite objections from Odisha. The Odisha government has approached the Supreme Court opposing that election exercise in the territory.
For now, Odisha Police are maintaining the three checkposts, recording vehicle movement and sustaining personnel deployments while the region faces continuing rain ahead of Andhra Pradesh’s November 3 rural polls.
