Tension prevailed in Hemgiri block of Sundargarh district on Tuesday as hundreds of locals staged a demonstration in front of the Hemgiri police station protesting the police action on Monday against the locals, who were staging a road blockade demanding ban of coal transportation in their locality.
The police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Significantly, hundreds of locals had staged a road blockade at Kandadhuda area on Monday, protesting a decision by the administration to start the movement of coal loaded trucks in their locality. The police had detained about 80 persons, including 13 minor girls, from the spot and taken them to the Hemgiri police station. The police later had forwarded as many as 24 persons, including twelve women, to court later in the evening, whereas about forty others were booked in bailable offence.
According to sources, the residents of several villages like Taparia, Kunda, Dhuda, Chatabar, Bileimunda, Luabahal, Ratanpur, Goapalpur and Banki Bahal etc.
have been protesting movement of coal loaded heavy vehicles on Banki Bahal-Taparia road for last few years. They have been arguing that the Mahanadi Coal Limited (MCL) should develop an exclusive coal corridor and transport coal in that road.