Over two thousand tribals of Sunabeda and Soseng panchayats of Nuapada district held a rally here and gheraoed the Collector’s office on Wednesday demanding electrification, improvement of roads, distribution of ration cards to left-out families, allotment of land entitlement under the FRA and inclusion of the Paharia community under ST order of the Constitution.
The tribals had earlier submitted a memorandum to the Collector and wanted fulfilment of their demands within fifteen days. “We are forced to gherao the Collector’s office as no action was taken on our demands,” said the demonstrators.
The Collector first deputed the Sub-Collector and the Deputy Collector to deal with the people, but the people were not in a mood to compromise. “We want the Collector, the SP and the DFO (Wildlife) to come to us for discussion,” said the tribals.
However, the Deputy Collector said it is not a practice in Odisha for the Collector to come out of his office to discuss with the people. “A few of your representatives can come to the conference hall to sit with the Collector for discussion,” he suggested.
When the junior officers and the police failed to persuade the people to discuss the matter with them, the SP and the Collector were forced to come to the demonstrators for talks.
The people wanted to know from the Collector about the action taken on their demands. The Collector stated that action would be taken by the State authority and they have been intimated about the demands.
“How the activities were going on smoothly when Jaykumar V and Umashankar Dash were respectively the Collector and the SP of the district,” posed Kaliram, a youth of Sunabeda. The surrounding reverberated with the same question as all the agitators supported Kaliram, but the Collector had no answer. He assured again that he would pursue with the State Government for quick redressal of the grievances of people.
The agitators also gheraoed the wildlife office for an hour demanding permission for electrification in the sanctuary.