ANGUL: Traffic on NH-55 and NH-149 passing through Angul has come to a standstill owing to an ongoing road blockade staged by students of Banarpal High School over the death of a girl from Class-VI in a road mishap.
Around 50 students backed by locals have blocked traffic at Banarpal since around 12 noon till the last reports came in. Attempts by the police and the local administration to persuade the students to call off the blockade went in vain as the students stuck to their protest demanding immediate repair of NH-55 and restriction on plying of heavy vehicles on the road during school hours.
Sources said Angul ADM Pratap Pritimay, sub-collector B Mohanty, SDPO R Mahalik and Banarpal IIC Nirupama Jena are on the spot trying to persuade the students to call off the blockade. Pritimay said talks are on with the students. He said the students are demanding the collector of Angul to arrive at the spot and assure them that their demands will be met.
Owing to the blockade, traffic has come to a standstill on NH-149 on both sides of the road. While vehicles are stranded up to Pitiri Chhak on one side and Parjang on the other on NH-149, the jam on NH-55 extends up to Dhenkanal on one side and to Jarpada on the other.
On Thursday, an 11-year-old girl student of Class VI, Laxmipriya Sahoo died in a road mishap near Banarpal Chhak. She was on her way home from Banda village after school when a trawler hit her killing her on the spot.