Joda: In protest against the district administration’s imposition of prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC at Bansapani rail siding under Joda mining circle in Keonjhar district Friday, over a hundred jobless people gheraoed the police station.
Some local people had forcibly worked at the rail siding as part of their protest against the engagement of machines in loading and unloading of minerals.
SP Kabita Jalan rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation while police forces were deployed to ward off any untoward incident.
Many agitating members of Keonjhar Mining Workers’ Union—Rajen Munda, Rasika Chatar, Pratap Behera and Santosh Nag—said mine owners and contractors have formed an unholy nexus to keep away local people from work.
They said labourer unions have been demanding jobs to labourers in 40 per cent of the rake loading work. “Though we have taken up our demands with the district administration time and again, nothing is being done to sort out our problems,” they rued.
The protesters said they had staged a sit-in for 14 days in May, 2015, demanding jobs at the rail siding. The district administration had initiated the process to engage 1,453 persons at sidings, but it has remained confined to pen and paper only.
“The administration has neglected the cause of local labourers,” the protesters added.
Angry over the administrative apathy, labourers had gatecrashed the siding and engaged themselves in rake loading for two days.
As the prohibitory orders were clamped, labourers could not do the loading work. They trooped to the local police station and gheraoed it to register their protests.
Barbil tehsildar Arun Kumar Mallick said no talks with the agitating people could be held as the collector was absent.
Labour union leader Radhakant Nayak said the administration is not taking any steps to find a solution to the problems.
Earlier, the administration had imposed section 144 in the area April 30, 2015 after labourers forcibly worked in the rail siding. PNN
