Bant: Upset over administrative inaction on the problems in paddy procurement and transportation bottlenecks, hundreds of farmers laid siege to a road at Panapodi Chhak here in Bhadrak district Friday. As a result, vehicular movement on the route was paralysed for hours.
Farmers had blocked the road a week ago alleging irregularities in paddy procurement.
Now, they have warned of blocking the Bhadrak-Anandapur state highway in coming days.
Earlier, they had dumped paddy sacks on the road and blocked it. Farmers of Adia and Ramachandrapur depend on the Basantia Cooperative Society under the Balasore-Bhadrak Central Cooperative Bank.
Farmers said their villages are nearly 10 km away from the cooperative society. Long distance has been a problem to transport paddy.
They demanded opening of a mandi near their villages. The farmers demanded immediate provision of paddy procurement from their area. Last year, the farmers had staged protests over a similar cause.
PNN