Machhkund river still missing from Odisha, AP revenue maps

Although a year has passed since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) confirmed about the absence of Machhkund river in the official revenue maps of both Nandapur tehsil in Koraput district and its Andhra Pradesh (AP) counterpart, while investigating complaints over the destruction of the river's ghats due to illegal sand mining, the river is yet to appear in the records of either states.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

A year ago, a team from NGT, along with revenue officials from both the states, had visited the Machhkund river near Shobhaput and Suduba ghats in Panthlung panchayat of Nandapur block in Koraput district to investigate into complaints made by Pooja Khil, the sarpanch of Panthlung panchayat. She had alleged that illegal sand mining was destroying the river ghats and the river, with sand being smuggled across to Andhra Pradesh.

During the investigation, officials were surprised to discover that the Machhkund river - used as a natural boundary between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh - was missing from the revenue records of both the states. Following media reports, the issue sparked state and national outrage, drawing criticism towards the state government and the revenue department.