Condemning the police excess on agitating villagers in Sundargarh district protesting against coal transportation on road by the MCL, activist Prafulla Samantara has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to intervene to let off the 25 people, including elected woman Zilla Parishad and Samiti Member, who have been put behind the bars.

After visiting the villages like Kandadhuda, Beleimunda and Ratanpur in Hemagiri Block who are severally affected by acute pollution by MCL coal transport since 2012, and meeting with the victims, he demanded an inquiry into the police excess by a panel of the State Assembly and take the unruly police officers to task if found guilty.

He described the Orissa High Court stay order as unfortunate on the ban of coal loaded trucks in the villages by the State Human Rights Commission on February 19. 

The stay order deprives the affected people of natural justice and police used it as an opportunity to repress the people who again protested the reappearance of coal loaded trucks run on the road. The people have constitutional right to protest peacefully when the State fails to protect their right, said Samantara.  He also lamented that though there was a direction of the Orissa High Court earlier to MCL to construct coal transport corridor to avoid public road through villages till 2018 but neither the construction has been started, nor any preventive measures have been taken for safety of the villagers.

 He demanded the Government to force the MCL to adhere to the guidelines and environmental laws as well as protect the rights of people.  The MCL be asked to provide compensation for the loss of crops due to coal dust, he demanded further.