SAMBALPUR: Hundreds of villagers, including women, of Khinda and Talabira on Thursday morning staged protest against NLC India Limited and stopped the work being carried out for its new coal mines at the site. Manas Salima of Talabira said the company has started digging up the site where it had felled thousands of trees in the last one month. “Since the authorities are yet to respond to our demands, we have launched protest to stop them from proceeding further,” he said.
The villagers want the company to stop its project and leave the place as it has been engaged in rampant felling of trees in the area without considering the welfare of locals. Salima said over 300 villagers including women are taking part in the protest. Some of the women were seen carrying their babies during the protest. Villagers of Budhiapali, Mundapada and Khatupada have also joined the agitation, he added.
Later on the day, police rushed to the spot and tried to convince the villagers to call off their protest but in vain. Representatives of Adani Limited also came to the spot to negotiate with the agitators in presence of Rengali Tehsildar but they too failed. Sources said the villagers are demanding a written assurance to call off the strike.
Rengali Tehsildar Susanta Sahu said, “The villagers have decided to continue their protest until their demands are met. They have also handed over a memorandum to the administration in this regard. We will look into it.”Till reports last came in, the irate were still staging dharna at the site and have named their protest as ‘Jungle Surakhya Satyagraha’.