Malkangiri\u00a0 February 14 :\u00a0 Koraput, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and now Malkangiri. It seems almost all bordering districts are under Andhra Pradesh radar. As the Kotia controversy rages on, residents of Jumadang village in Chitrakonda block of Malkangiri face a similar dilemma. Like Kotia, Jumadang too is located on Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border and lacks basic amenities which appears to have been taken advantage of by the neighbouring state administration.In absence of pucca road, the only means of reaching Jumadang is to take a 3 km walk from Andhra Pradesh side.<\/p>\n
Locals use horses for carrying essential commodities to the village. They say Odisha gives them rice but Andhra Pradesh has ensured drinking water supply and other basic facilities like electricity in the village. While the Odisha government gives them rice and Rs 500 as allowance, the amount given by Andhra Pradesh administration is Rs 2,250 per month, the villagers say.<\/p>\n
Unhappy with their present state of affairs, the villagers credit AP for facilities made available to them. The neighbouring State has appointed teachers at the village school and provided locals with voter ID, Aadhaar and ration cards. Interestingly, as is the case with such bordering villages, locals get rice from both the states. A few of them also have relevant documents issued by the two states. A majority of them have adopted Telugu as their mother tongue too.<\/p>\n
Taking advantage of the situation, the Andhra government has named the village ‘Jamdangi’ and included it under its Pedaballi block in Visakhapatnam district. However, Chitrakonda tehsildar T Padmanav Dora said the government schemes are operational in the area. Of the 22 households in the village, 18 are getting rice and 10 are availing pension from Odisha government, he said. Dora did not deny reports of some villagers getting rice from Andhra Pradesh as well but said people can get their Aadhaar cards made from anywhere they wish.<\/p>\n