UMERKOTE : Over 5,000 people including leaders of BJD and Congress staged demonstration at Hirmimunda village under Nabarangpur’s Tentulikhunti block on Thursday to oppose the proposed nuclear power plant at Pujariguda.
Carrying banners and raising slogans against the project, the agitators said the proposed project could lead to displacement, environmental degradation and long term health concerns for local residents. The proposed facility could affect fertile agricultural land, forests and local water sources, they said.
Former Nabarangpur MP and BJD leader Pradeep Majhi strongly criticised the BJP government, alleging that the interests and concerns of tribal communities were being ignored in the name of development.
He questioned whether development could be justified if it came at the cost of tribal land, livelihoods, forests and the environment. He also announced that a committee comprising people from Kalahandi and Nabarangpur districts would be formed within 15 days to fight for the interests of local tribal communities.
Community leaders also objected to the soil testing and preliminary activities being reportedly undertaken by the NTPC in connection with the proposed project. They urged the state government to intervene immediately and safeguard the interests of local and indigenous communities.
Among others, Dabugaon MLA and BJD district president Manohar Randhari, Lanjigarh MLA Pradeep Dishari, former Nabarangpur MLA Sadashiv Pradhani, district Congress president Lipika Majhi, and former Dabugaon Congress MLA Bhujbal Majhi participated in the demonstration.
The protest comes after a similar demonstration was held in Nabarangpur town on August 26, when people including women from different blocks of the district took out a march against the proposed project.