As warned by them earlier, kendu leaf workers of Nuapada district led by Amaresh Pattnaik and Jadumani Panigrahi, respectively president and secretary, of Khariar Division Committee of Odisha Kendupatra Karmachari Sangha (OKKS) staged road blockades in district headquarters and all block headquarters on Wednesday demanding early implementation of social welfare and social security schemes intended for the development of the workers, development of a better kendu leaf policy, establishment of a processing division by eliminating the Fal system, increase in retirement age of seasonal workers from 60 to 65 years, regularisation of job of watchers employed since 1993 and abolition of GST on the kendu leaf trade.
When the road blockade at Nuapada was held on the NH near Collectorate, at Khariar and Komna the NH was blocked, respectively, at Ambedkar Chhak.
Likewise, the State Highway at Sinapali and Boden was also blocked from 11 am to 3 pm. Sanjaya Panigrahi led the workers of Komna block at Tarbod while Ganesh Pradhan led the agitators at Bodeb.