Tihidi/Chandbali: Rail services on the Bhadrak-Dhamra line were disrupted Wednesday as local organisations blocked the tracks near Gurudaspur level crossing in Tihidi block, protesting alleged neglect by Dhamra Port Company Ltd. (DPCL) in providing employment and transport opportunities to local people.
The blockade began at 6 a.m. near the Gadi Bazar-Ghanteswar road under Pirahat police station, where protesters also held a public meeting.
The agitation was organised by the Bhadrak District Development Council, Tipper and Truck Owners’ Association and Biswakarma Truck Owners’ Association, Tihidi.
Protesters alleged that despite the development of Dhamra Port, people in Tihidi and Chandbali blocks had not received adequate benefits from the project.
They demanded employment opportunities for unemployed youths and transport work for local truck and tipper owners.
They also alleged that inadequate drainage along the railway line from Pirahat to Bansada had caused waterlogging, damaging paddy fields and village roads.
Council president Subhendu Ray Mahapatra presided over the meeting, while general secretary Jyotiprakash Mohanty, senior Congress leader Satyananda Rout, council vice-president Chandan Kumar Nayak and Biswakarma Truck Owners’ Association president Prafulla Prusty addressed the gathering.
Speakers alleged that farmers from Bhadrak, Tihidi and Chandbali had parted with thousands of acres of land for the port project but had not received adequate benefits.
They also alleged that truck and tipper owners in seven panchayats near Dhamra were benefiting from the company’s operations while operators from other parts of the district were being excluded.
Protesters questioned how a train was allowed to pass while they were sitting on the tracks and sought details of the safety measures taken.
No district administration official or DPCL representative had reached the protest site as of the time of filing the report.