Seeking an early and permanent settlement of the border disputes of Odisha with neighbouring States, the Utkal Sammilani has come up with a bunch of demands and threatened to launch a State-wide stir if the Government fails to fulfil them.

Recently, under the leadership of Dr Adwaita Kumar Patra, the Sammilani held a protest at Lower PMG Square urging prompt measures to foil the expansionist designs of the neighbouring States, especially Andhra Pradesh.

The Sammilani demanded demarcation of the border by setting up a border settlement office under the Revenue department and keeping in-charge an officer not below the rank of a Special Secretary.

The officer on duty should travel the border areas and with the help of the district Collectors and Revenue Secretary must settle the border demarcation by taking on board officers of the other States, the Sammilani stated. Besides, it demanded establishing a special cell on lines of the KBK and the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) for development of education, health, transport, water, electricity facilities of the people inhabiting in the border area of Odisha; sorting out possession of double Aadhar Card and Voter Card by residents in border villages and holding Kotia Utsav for imbibing sprit of Odia culture.

The Sammilani also demanded improvements of Udayapur Talasari Beach at Baleswar to counter the Digha sea beach; connecting 19 villages lying at the outskirts of Jharsuguda in Lakhanpur block with the district headquarters by constructing a bridge over river Mahanadi and a dam at the head of the Saberi and Selleri rivers to give a check to the Polavaram project of Andhra.

Narayan Biswal, Sammilani secretary Ananta Prasad Jena, treasurer Bimala Chandra Sarangi, Siba Sundar Patnaik, Bhimasen Mahapatra, Ashok Das, Sudarsan Mahapatra, Shaktisankar Mishra, Nima Mishra, Akshaya Das, Er Dhaneswar Sahoo, Akula Sangrami Sethi and Nandakishore Samal were present.