TALCHER: Police on Tuesday detained around 400 people of Bhalugadia, including local MLA Braja Kishore Pradhan, for opposing an eviction drive in the village.
The drive, under which 31 houses were to be razed, was being supervised by Angul SP Jagmohan Meena, who said the villagers and the legislators were restrained from obstructing the exercise.The supporters of the MLA protested the police action and paralysed coal operations in Talcher Coalfields area, including production and dispatch.
Sources said Bhalugadia was acquired by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) a few years back for its Hingula mines.Even as MCL officials said the villagers were given benefits under the State Government’s Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) policy, Pradhan refuted the claim.A senior MCL official said all benefits, including employment, have been provided to the villagers. But they are still refusing to give up their land for the mines.