The tribals’ agitation against Corporation status to the Rourkela Municipality entered the sixth day on Thursday even as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to visit the city on March 15. The tribals have called a Rourkela Bandh on March 18. In the meantime, Talsara Congress MlA Dr Prafulla Majhi in the presence of former Rajgangpur Congress MlA Gregory Minz and other party leaders told reporters that they would support to agitation.
But surprisingly, Rourkela DCC vice-president Ramananda Srichandan has in a Press release mentioned that his party has no relation with the tribals’ protest and with the statements made by Dr Majhi and other party leaders. Srichandan has stated that his party and many other parties and organisations had been demanding corporation status to Rourkela and consequently it the city got the corporation tag. The controversy arised due to the merge of certain areas without prior consent of the people of these localities though many areas of the city were willing to be included in the corporation area. And because of this, the decision process of the Government is being delayed.
As many areas of outside the Rourkela District Congress jurisdiction are included with the Corporation, some of his party leaders of these localities are giving importance to the opinion of the people of these areas. But that are their personal views with which his party has nothing to do, said Srichandan.
Targeting the BJD and the BJP, he allegedly that it is unfortunate that leaders of these parties are always trying to take credit for every success whereas the elected representatives of these parties have been keeping mum on this sensitive issue.