The Birikut Block Steering Committee, which has started a campaign for creation of a new Birikut block in Gajapati district, on Friday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to initiate appropriate steps for formation of a new block.
local tribal leaders led by NGO activist Rajeev lochan Rathan said that as many as 41,000 tribal and minority people of eight gram panchayats are staying in the Birikut area. Out of these people, 10,000 are residing in hilly and most inaccessible villages under Mohana block, he added. Birikut area leaders including Peter Mallick, Sankar Gomang, Budru Mallick and Badisha Majhi said the tribals living in the hilly areas are deprived of their rights due to lack of communication and other facilities. “As Birikut is very much accessible to all habitats of this region and also meets all criteria for a block headquarters, we requested the CMto take initiative to form a block in the area,” added Rathan.