ROURKELA: The Rourkela Bar Association (RBA) has been relentless in its demand for establishment of a permanent bench of Orissa High Court in the Steel City and bifurcation of Sundargarh to carve out a separate revenue district here. In the context, it will be chalking out fresh strategies to get its demand fulfilled.
RBA president Suresh Chandra Majhi and general secretary Akshay Sahu said a general body meeting has been scheduled on November 14 to plan strategies to revive the demands and mobilise public opinion.
The Association said both demands are legitimate and Rourkela meets all criteria of the Jaswant Singh Commission which makes it the most suitable place for establishment of the High Court bench.
Sahu said the distance to Sundargarh town from the end points of Panposh and Bonai sub-divisions is 180 to 210 km. This makes it tough for the poor and tribals to travel to the town for revenue-related works.
Sundargarh town is connected only by road to the rest of the world.
“There is no bus service from Sundargarh to Rourkela after 6.30 pm. Imagine the sufferings of a poor villager travelling from a remote area like Jareikela or Koida to Sundargarh to get some official work done,” he said. Former Congress MLA Pravat Mohapatra said decentralisation of power is a must for reaching out to the neglected masses in a more effective manner.