After protests by the citizens to allow road sale coal transport through Belpahar bypass, authorities of the district administration on Saturday here visited Belpahar to take stock of the situation.
Coal laden trucks are now using NH 49 via Belpahar by-pass and Punjipathar chowk. But, blank trucks earmarked for coal transport are commuting through Belpahar Gumadera residential areas as earlier.
After a rail overbridge was inaugurated on September 21 and protests made by the senior citizens and general public, trucks did not operate on the route. But in a meeting held on September 25 in the office of the district Collector, the Belpahar residents requested to allow transport of blank trucks via Punjipathar in the presence of the local Tehsildar.
Thereafter on Saturday, Jharsuguda district Collector Bibhuti Bhusan Patnaik, SP R Prakas and RTO BK Singh visited Belpahar to inspect the Punjipathar road.
later, they visited Belpahar and lakhanpur open cast mine via Punjipathar. District Collector Patnaik said that a decision in this regard will be taken.
Shyam Satpathy from the Senior Citizens Forum and Arif Muhammad from the Gumadera Market Committee were present.