Talcher: Tension ran high at Rakash village under this block in Angul district Wednesday after the police arrested over 200 men and women for resisting the administration’s attempt to cut trees in a reserve forest adjoining their village to make way for a road project.
According to reports, the villagers of the mining area have long been demanding to expedite steps for their rehabilitation, compensation for land losers and jobs for the unemployed youths of the village.
However, the administration is yet to meet their demands. As a result, they had decided not to allow mining work in the reserve forest unless their demands were met. The incident occurred when Colliery police accompanied by the project officer of Jagannath coalmine and additional forces in two buses reached Rakash reserve forest and started work for the construction of a road connecting the village with Bharatpur coalmine. An earthmover was also deployed at the site.
Hundreds of villagers raising objection to the road project reached at the site and stood in front of the earthmover refusing to allow work till their demands were met.
Earlier, they had staged a dharna outside the sub-collector’s office Tuesday objecting to the road work carried out in midnight. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the sub-collector apprising him of their demands.
Wednesday, they learnt about felling of trees for road construction and staged a dharna at the site.
SP Kabita Jalan, senior police officials, five magistrates and 10 platoons of police force rushed to the site and tried to placate the irate villagers from withdrawing their stir. However, the agitators refused to relent. Finally, the police launched a crackdown on the villagers and arrested over 200 of them. PNN
