A story of 21 villages trapped between two states
Let me tell you a story. It’s about 21 villages perched on the Eastern Ghats, home to tribal families who never asked to be at the centre of a tug of war. For nearly nine decades, the Kotia Gram Panchayat dispute has kept Odisha and Andhra Pradesh locked in argument. The fight is not about bustling towns or big cities. It’s about a cluster of villages where people live simple lives, yet carry two ration cards, two voter IDs.
How did the dispute even begin?
To understand Kotia, you need to go back to the British era. Before 1936, this whole stretch was part of the Vizagapatam district under the Madras Presidency. The terrain was rough, forests were thick, and much of it was never properly surveyed. Local zamindars ruled, especially the Jeypore estate, and the British were content to leave the borders vague.
In 1936, Odisha was carved out as a new province. That’s when the trouble started. Some villages were clearly mapped into Odisha’s Koraput district. But 21 of them, sitting in the Kotia cluster, slipped through the cracks. Records were messy. Some maps put them in Odisha, others in Madras. Nobody cleared the confusion before independence, and by the time India became a republic in 1950, the stage was set for a border row.
Two states, one claim
After Andhra Pradesh was created in the 1950s, it began claiming these 21 villages as its own. Odisha pushed back, pointing out that it had been holding elections there since 1952, running schools, and giving land pattas to local families. For Odisha, the case was simple: the Constitution itself placed these villages in Koraput.
Andhra told a different story. Its leaders argued that the cultural and economic ties of the villagers were closer to Andhra towns. Over time, Andhra rolled out schemes, built roads, and held its own panchayat polls in Kotia. In the eyes of villagers, both states became providers. It meant more benefits but also more confusion.
The long road through courts
The first big showdown came in 1968. Odisha filed a case in the Supreme Court, accusing Andhra of trespassing. The Court ordered a status quo — neither state should change the ground reality. That order still stands today.
But in 2006, the Court said something crucial. It declared that it could not permanently decide state boundaries. Only Parliament has that power. The dispute was pushed out of the court’s hands, and into political limbo.
Elections, schemes, and parallel governance
What does status quo mean in practice? It means both states continue to act like the villages are theirs. Odisha sets up polling booths, and Andhra sets up its own. Odisha distributes ration cards, and Andhra does too. Schools, anganwadis, health centres, even police posts — often you’ll find duplicates.
In 2021, Andhra went a step further. It held panchayat elections in three Kotia villages despite Odisha’s protests. The Supreme Court sent notices but did not stop the polls. The message was clear: until Parliament acts, this strange overlap will continue.
Life on the ground
For the 4,000 or so people living in Kotia, the border fight is less about maps and more about survival. Most are Kondh tribals who depend on farming and forest produce. For them, two governments mean two sets of promises, but rarely full delivery.
Imagine having two Aadhaar cards, two sets of election officials, and two governments celebrating Independence Day in the same village square. Some families take pensions from both states. Others get left out because neither side is sure whose responsibility they are.
This ‘dual identity’ has bred uncertainty. Villagers ask simple questions: Who do we really belong to? Which anthem should our children sing at school?
Why both states won’t back down
There’s more at stake here than just 21 villages. The Kotia region lies in a mineral-rich belt of the Eastern Ghats. Both Odisha and Andhra see strategic and economic value in controlling it. Losing Kotia would not just mean losing land — it would also be seen as a political defeat.
For Odisha, it is about history and pride. The state has run institutions in Kotia for decades. Giving up now would feel like abandoning its tribal citizens.
For Andhra, the argument is about cultural links and electoral strength. Standing firm on Kotia is also a way to show commitment to its border communities.
The Centre’s silence
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Parliament alone can resolve the Kotia Gram Panchayat dispute. Yet for decades, successive governments in Delhi have looked the other way. Border disputes between states are politically sensitive, and few leaders want to risk angering one side or the other.
So the status quo drags on. Supreme Court reminders pile up. Committees are formed. Welfare schemes are launched. But the core issue — where exactly the border lies — remains untouched.
What Kotia teaches us about federal India
Kotia is not just a local squabble. It is a symbol of how India still lives with colonial-era maps that were never fully corrected. It shows the limits of our federal system: courts can’t settle borders, and Parliament often won’t. Meanwhile, people on the ground pay the price.
Other states face similar disputes — Karnataka and Maharashtra fight over Belagavi, Assam and Mizoram over their boundary, Punjab and Haryana over Chandigarh. But Kotia is unique because it involves entire villages living in a grey zone, with two governments claiming them at once.
The way forward
What can be done? One option is for Parliament to step in and formally decide the border. Another is for both states to agree on a joint administration model, focusing on development instead of ownership. Until that happens, Kotia’s people will remain trapped in limbo.
For now, they continue with their double ration cards and double festivals, waiting for someone in power to see their struggle. Their story is not about lines on a map. It is about ordinary lives caught in a 90-year argument no one wants to end.
Timeline of Kotia Dispute (Odisha–Andhra Pradesh)
| Year/Period | Event/Development |
| 1936 | Formation of Odisha as a separate province. Kotia cluster of 21 villages lies on the border of Odisha and Madras Presidency (now Andhra region). Boundaries remain vaguely defined. |
| 1953 | Andhra State carved out of Madras Presidency. Some dispute arises over the border with Odisha, including Kotia villages. |
| 1956 | States Reorganisation Act redraws boundaries on linguistic basis. Kotia remains in Koraput district (Odisha), but Andhra Pradesh claims the villages citing Telugu-speaking population. |
| 1968 | First recorded tensions: both states conduct administrative work (like tax collection, development schemes) in Kotia villages. |
| 1980s | Odisha and Andhra approach the Supreme Court over boundary disputes in several regions including Kotia. Case remains unresolved for decades. |
| 2006 | Andhra Pradesh government begins welfare schemes in disputed villages, intensifying Odisha’s protests. |
| 2018 | Tensions flare as both states announce separate panchayat polls for Kotia villages. Supreme Court directs status quo until final decision. |
| Feb 2021 | Andhra Pradesh conducts rural local body elections in 13 of 21 Kotia villages, despite Odisha’s objections. This triggers strong protests from Odisha. |
| 2021 (Mar–Apr) | Odisha files petitions, claims Andhra violated Supreme Court orders. AP government defends move citing local demands. |
| 2022–2023 | Both state governments continue welfare schemes (housing, rations, pensions) to woo Kotia residents. Supreme Court case still pending. |
| Present (2025) | Dispute unresolved. Kotia villagers caught between two states, holding voter IDs, ration cards, and benefits from both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Supreme Court yet to deliver final ruling. |
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