Tihidi: Fifteen protesters were detained by police Friday af ter members of the Vishwakarma Truck Owners’ Association and the Bhadrak Zilla Bikash Parishad blocked the Bhadrak-Dhamra railway line near Sahapur level crossing in Tihidi block, protesting against the alleged neglect of local development by Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL).
The blockade began around 10 am and was accompanied by a public protest meeting chaired by parishad president Subhendu Ray Mohapatra. Speakers accused the company of neglecting the development of Tihidi and Chandbali blocks. They alleged that inadequate drainage along the railway line had led to floodwater accumulation, damaging paddy crops.
They also accused the company of failing to provide employment op portunities to unemployed youths in the district. The protesters demanded that DPCL provide transport work to local tipper and truck owners who, they alleged, had been excluded from the company’s operations. They said repeated discussions with the administration and company officials had failed to resolve the issues.
Those who addressed the meeting included parishad general secretary Jyotiprakash Mohanty, vice-president Chandan Kumar Nayak and truck owners’ association president Prafulla Kumar Pushti. Pirahat police station IIC Rozalin Behera reached the spot with one platoon of police personnel and detained 15 protesters, following which the blockade was called off.
ASP Anshuman Dwibedi, Chandbali SDPO Pra bhas Chandra Sahu and Tihidi Additional Tehsildar Satish Ku mar Rout were present. The protesters warned that they would block the railway line every month until their demands were met.
A joint meeting held September 18 at the Tihidi block conference hall to discuss the issues reportedly failed, with protesters alleging that company representatives had not provided satisfactory information.