Hundreds of drivers and helpers of iron ore-laden trucks, who were regularly stranded at Paradip-Daitary Expressway for traffic jam, on Saturday staged a road blockade by burning tyres on the road near Kalaghar under Marshaghai police station limits.
They protested against the callous attitude of the police personnel in nabbing the brokers, who allegedly by taking extortion money from the drivers of iron ore trucks manage to issue passes to the trucks against traffic rules. Kendrapada SDPO Nrusingha Swain and Marshaghai police station IIC Sandhyarani Behuria rushed to the spot and managed to withdraw the road blockade. They also assured the truck drivers that suitable action would be taken to tackle the jam.
The same day, Kendrapada SP Sarthak Sarangi, SDPO Swain and Kendrapada RTO launched a crackdown and arrested staff of two iron ore trucks which were heading towards Paradip Port on wrong route by violating traffic rules. later, the RTO conducted more raids and booked 20 truck drivers who were violating traffic rules.
A few police camps were set up at Jmasakani and Nilachalbazzar in order to nab the trucks who were going on wrong route. Besides, Marshaghai police arrested three brokers. Sources said a year ago the District Collectors of Kendrapada, Jajpur and Keonjhar and other senior officials including the RDC (Central) had organised a joint meeting at the port town of Paradip to solve the traffic problem on the road. It was decided in the meeting that the
district administration of Keonjhar will allow only 1,700 trucks daily to carry iron ore from Keonjhar to Paradip at evening hours to avoid the jam. Though this had controlled the traffic snarls to some extent, yet with the plying of iron-ore trucks from Keonjhar to Paradip, again the same problem has surfaced.