ANGUL: The BJD on Monday called a bandh across the district on April 7 to protest closure of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS). Led by MLAs Braja Kishore Pradhan, Mukesh Pal and Susanta Behera, the leaders held a rally and submitted a memorandum to Talcher Sub Collector addressed to the Prime Minister.
Addressing a press meet, district BJD president Mahendra Bastia along with the MLAs lambasted the Centre for the closure of TTPS which is vital for the district and the State. They demanded restoration of the unit and early execution of the third phase of the plant expansion. The Odisha government had approved the expansion plan last year.
After TTPS closed down on March 31 due to lack of environmental clearance, BJD’s Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahu had called for a Talcher bandh on April 8. However, Sahu was absent at the press meet. On Sunday, the district unit of Congress had warned of an economic blockade over the issue.