Cuttack: At least 540 members of 134 slum dwellers’ families were rendered homeless when several sheds at a temporary rehabilitation centre at Nuapara Balisahi here were damaged by the Nor’wester here, Tuesday.
At least four persons including two children sustained injuries in the incident. One of the injured has been admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, sources said.
The administration had earlier evicted these slum dwellers from Pilgrim Road, Chhatra Bazar and Ranihaat areas of the city to facilitate the expansion of SCB and widening of Taladanda canal road, sources added.
Venting their anger on the administration, the homeless slum dwellers entered into a heated exchange with the police personnel who reached the spot for rescue work.
The slum dwellers hurled stones at the police personnel and vandalised two police vehicles.
“The slum dwellers are adamant to return to their old places. A few security personnel were injured as the slum dwellers hurled stones at the police party,” said a police officer.
On being informed, senior officials including Cuttack Sub-Collector Pratap Chandra Beura, Cuttack deputy commissioner Abinash Rout and local tehsildar Sambit Gadnayak reached the spot and tried to pacify the angry slum dwellers.
“The officials proposed to relocate the homeless to a few schools for the time being. However, the slum dwellers rejected the proposal,” said a source in the CMC.
Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvic Biswal and former legislator Pravat Biswal too held discussions with the slum dwellers and tried to bring a solution to the impasse.
“We are ready to shift the homeless people to the schools which have been shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the slum dwellers are not cooperating with us,” said an official of the district administration.
