Bhubaneswar: Governor posts are ceremonial. But, for BJP senior leader from Odisha Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, who has been appointed as the governor of Andhra Pradesh, it would be a challenging one. For, he has sot out several thorny issues that involve his home state Odisha with Andhra Pradesh.
Odisha is fighting a losing battle with Andhra Pradesh over Polavaram dam issue. That the national dam project in the neighbouring state would submerge vast land in tribal dominated Odisha’s Malkangiri district. The Odisha government has engaged its counterpart in Andhra Pradesh is legal battle in the supreme court.
Similarly, the case of Bansadhara river water dispute, which is going on for several years, is need to be resolved. Even though the matter is now being examined by a water tribunal, early solution to the issue would be better for both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Then there is the inter-state border dispute between the two neighbouring states. Both Odisha and Andhra are claiming their rights over the cluster of Kutia inhabited villages on the border. There are 94 villages that are being in the list of inter-state border dispute.
Harichandan, the veteran BJP leader who had served the Odisha government as minister in late 1970s, early 19990s and again in early 2000s has told local newspaper Samaja that he would try his best to solve these problems remaining within the constitutaional, legal and gubernatorial position limits with a view to improve the cordial relationship between the two states. Harichandan, in fact, had tried to solve the boarder problem of Kotia village cluster with the Andhra Pradesh in 1977 when he was minister for law, labour & food supply minister in the then Nilamani Routray ministry. He was again become food supply minnister in Biju Patnaik government in 1990. In 2000, he joined the BJP-BJD coalition ministry led by Naveen Patnaik as minister for revenue and law. In the second term of the coalition ministry, he was rural development, law and industries minister in Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet.
