Koraput: In a significant development in the long-standing Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border dispute, people from different parts of Koraput district converged in Kotia gram panchayat on Wednesday to protest Andhra Pradesh’s decision to conduct local body elections in the disputed border region on Nov 5.Hundreds of protesters, including women, reportedly pulled down barricades erected by Andhra Pradesh police, alleging that they were being used to facilitate the neighbouring state’s entry into villages claimed by Odisha.The development came amid Koraput police on Wednesday taking control of an Andhra Pradesh police checkpost at Upper Sembi village in the disputed Kotia panchayat of Koraput district. “Upon our arrival, the Andhra Pradesh police vacated the checkpost and left the area,” said DSP (Koraput) Sanjay Kumar Mandal.Despite repeated interventions by Odisha govt, Andhra Pradesh has continued to undertake welfare activities and administrative exercises in the region, triggering periodic confrontations. Collector (Koraput) Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said the administration was on high alert and senior officials had been deployed to closely monitor the situation and prevent any untoward incident.“Kotia is an integral part of Odisha and all necessary steps have been taken to protect it. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS have been imposed, and no polling booth of Andhra Pradesh has been set up in our territory,” the collector said.SP (Koraput) Rohit Verma said 16 platoons of police force had been deployed in the region, besides senior police officers, to maintain law and order and prevent any escalation. The administration is keeping a close watch on the situation as the Nov 5 polls in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh approach. Security arrangements have been strengthened to ensure that the situation remains under control, the SP said.