JAJPUR: Hundreds of people, including college students, staged a road blockade and demonstration near Kabatabandha village in Jenapur for nearly 12 hours on Monday, demanding the immediate completion of NH-53 expansion work between Chandikhole and Duburi and the construction of a second bridge over the Brahmani River.
The agitators, under the aegis of Sachetan Nagarika Manch, alleged that due to the slow progress of the four-laning work, several accidents have occurred on the national highway, leading to numerous fatalities.
“The Chandikhole-Duburi stretch of NH-53 has turned into a death trap due to the delay in the expansion work, which has been ongoing for the last couple of years. We want the fulfilment of our seven-point charter of demands, including the immediate completion of the NH widening work, the construction of a second Brahmani bridge near Kabatabandha village, and a traffic system to ensure the safe commute of college students,” said the convenor of the Manch, Saroj Behera.
Urging Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to intervene in the matter, the agitators threatened to intensify their protest if their demands were not met soon.
Former finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei, who joined the protest, said the urgency of the people’s call for action underscores the locals’ reliance on NH-53, not only for daily commuting but also for economic activities.
The protest was called off at around 9 pm after ADM Nabakrushna Jena and local MLA Himanshu Shekhar Sahoo reached the spot and assured the agitators that steps would be taken to fulfil their demands at the earliest.
As a result of the protest, vehicular traffic on NH-53 between Duburi and Chandikhole was completely disrupted for around 12 hours.