Barbil: Local residents from four villages started an indefinite protest against a private steel company in Barbil area in Keonjhar Tuesday demanding jobs, healthcare, communication facilities and over the issue of pollution.
People of Karakhenda staged a dharna on the road leading to Sri Jagannath Steel and Power Ltd, promoted by LJS Ahluwalia. “As long as our demands are not met, we will carry on agitation against the company,” said samiti member Tulasi Munda.
The steel plant operates at Ulliburu. Villagers said that people in its peripheral villages have been suffering from pollution-related problems caused by the plant while local people are not given job opportunities.
The roads in the area have been in bad shape due to transportation of minerals while people are deprived of healthcare in the periphery.
Hundreds of people from Ulliburu, Hayarpur, Sankhajhar and Barpada demanded that over 400 jobless youths should be provided employment in the plant, immediate repair of roads, a boundary wall around the plant’s dumping yard and removal of charcoal on the farmland.
The protest paralysed mineral transportation to the plant while police were deployed at the agitation site.
