He walks from BBSR to Amaravati to resolve border row
The main objective of taking up the arduous task of walking from Bhubaneswar to Amaravati is to create awareness among the people with whom in interact during my journey and submit a representation to AP Chief Minister to resolve the border row in the larger interest of the people in the vicinity -- Muktikant Biswal, padyatra protestor
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: EVEN as the border dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the Kotia Group of Villages on the Eastern Ghats is leading to frequent skirmishes, an aam aadmi, a clay idol-maker has embarked on a yatra by foot on Gandhi Jayanti from Bhubaneswar to Amaravati to convince AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to hammer out a mutually acceptable solution to the problem which has endangered peace in the tribal areas.
The border dispute has escalated to such an extent that tension is palpable in the surrounding villages with politicians from both the States taking part in protests since both the States staked claim over a 400-square meters area in Sunabeda hamlet of Samba Mouz in Dumbriguda mandal of AP and Dissari village of Dhulipet panchayat in Chitrakonda block in Koraput district of Odisha over a year ago.
The 20-odd villages known as Kotia Group are also known for movement of outlawed Maoists. The border areas are rich in quartz and granite deposits. Neighbouring Panchpatmali Hills in Koraput district of Odisha have huge bauxite reserves. State-owned NALCO, which had a revenue of Rs 8,471 crore in 2020, owns fully mechanised open cast mines in the area. Visakhapatnam Port handles various consignments of NALCO.
"The main objective of taking up the arduous task of walking from Bhubaneswar to Amaravati is to create awareness among the people with whom in interact during my journey and submit a representation to AP Chief Minister to resolve the border row in the larger interest of the people in the vicinity," Muktikant Biswal, 33, said. Brimming with confidence, he told Bizz Buzz during his halt here that he has already represented Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik after undertaking a padayatra from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar traversing a distance of 510 km in 18 days.
On an average he covers 25 to 28 km a day. He sleeps wherever he finds a wayside dhaba and takes 30- minute rest after walking 1 hour. He could not walk due to heavy rains for three days from November 8-10. Covid-19 had no impact on his padayatra and the passers-by listened to his plea with interest. Walking is not new to Muktikant. Despite limited income from his profession, he saved some money by undertaking petty civil construction works when there was no demand for clay idols. "My passion is to do my bit to focus on certain genuine problems of public importance," he stated. He had gone on foot from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar and New Delhi to press for early construction of Brahmani Bridge and a superspeciality hospital at Rourkela in 2019.
Despite the constitution of joint settlement teams last year, there is no progress so far for demarcation of border boundaries. As a result, the disputed areas have turned into rendezvous for frequent visits of local politicians and officials from both sides.
The disputes arose after the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 by carving it out from the Madras Presidency. Odisha was formed in 1936. AP was again divided in 2014 after formation of Telangana following an agitation spearheaded by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who had visited the disputed areas, wanted the Chief Minister of both States to settle the issue amicably to ensure peace and harmony in the border areas.
