Joda: Upset over lack of job opportunities in local industrial units, hundreds of people staged protests outside the office of a contractual firm engaged in mining at Joda in Keonjhar Tuesday.
The agitators accused Atwal firm of having engaged people from West Bengal, Jharkhand and other states in its work ignoring local people.
Padmabati Patra, Rashmita Patra, Phulamani Nayak, Golapi Karua and Kamala Patra alleged the company had earlier promised them work opportunities, but did nothing for the locals.
They said ”Thousands of jobless people in the region are willing to work and are moving from pillar to post in search of odd jobs while people of other states are getting job opportunities here.”
Despite repeated protests and reminders, the company has turned a deaf ear to the demands of the locals, they fumed.
The locals warned the private entrepreneurs of agitation if the company ignored their demands.
The protestors also said they would take up the issue with the Collector, Champua sub-collector and deputy director of Joda mining circle.
Surprisingly, Anubhab Dutt, an official of Atwal firm, said there was no agitation in this regard and he was not aware of it.
PNN
