Tension prevailed at Teleghana under Kutra block of Sundargarh district on Thursday, when thousands of tribals carrying arms assembled to oppose the public hearing for the expansion of Shiva Cement Limited, a company taken over by JSW Limited a couple of years back.
While the locals had blocked the main road to public hearing site, the administrative officials reached at the site through local road and conducted the public hearing. About twelve platoons police force were deployed on the spot. Sources said for expansion of Shiva Cement, from its existing production capacity of 0.165 million ton to 3 million ton capacity, the public hearing was sheduced on August 26. Despite the presence of large security forces, hundreds of locals with traditional arms and weapons on their hand had assembled in the road leading to the venue of public hearing. They had placards on their hand displaying slogans like 'JSW go back.' Senior administrative officials like Sundargarh ADM Biswajit Mohapatra, Sub Collector Abhimanyu Behera and Regional Officer, State Pollution Control Board, Rourkela PK Mohapatra, reached at the public hearing site, amid tight security and had conducted the public hearing.According to sources, some 37 persons only participated in the public hearing.
The district administration officials, however, claimed that the public hearing was successfully conducted. "As per the programme, the public hearing for the expansion of Shiva Cement Ltd. was conducted and we have noted the opinions given by the persons, who participated in it," said ADM Mohapatra.