Koraput: With the Odisha government entangled in a legal dispute with Andhra Pradesh over the ownership of 21 Kotia panchayat villages in Pottangi block of the district since 1968, the construction of a drinking water supply project by an Andhra-based voluntary organisation at a village in Koraput district has given rise to a fresh controversy between the two states.

While the water project has been established at Jayanthigiri village under Panthlung panchayat in Nandapur block, the transparency board set up by the voluntary organisation at the village has mentioned Nandapur as a mandal (block) under Vishakapatnam district of the neighbouring state.

"The village is clearly situated inside Odisha territory. After Jayanthigiri, the last village of Odisha is Sudub in Nandapur block and the Andhra borders lies at a distance of around 3km from it," said Ram Chandra Pangi, a retired school teacher of Sudub.

Pangi said the board set up by the Andhra-based voluntary organisation at the village had created a dispute and if no action was taken at the earliest, it may snowball into another border row between the two states.

Situated at a distance of about 80km from here, Jayanthigiri is home to around 30 tribal families and is well inside the boundary of Odisha.

"If such thing has happened, then the district administration should take immediate action to ensure the board was removed from the village," said Binod Mohapatra, a member of Utkal Sammeleni.

Koraput collector K. Sudarshan Chakravarty said: "The additional district magistrate and the tehsildar has been asked to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the matter and to submit the report at the earliest."