Demanding withdrawal of a State Government notification on corporation status to Rourkela Municipality, hundreds of tribals of Sundargarh district under the banner of Sundargarh Adivasi Mulabasi Bachao Sangha (SAMBS) staged demonstration in front of the Rourkela Municipal Corporation on Saturday. Biramitrapur MlA George Tirkey, who led the demonstration, claimed that it was the last warning to the State Government to withdraw the notification.
Sources said the Government had announced Municipal Corporation status to Rourkela Municipality about a year ago before the last assembly election. Some of the neighbouring areas of the city, located on the outskirts of municipality limits, have been included in the municipal corporation limits, which was resisted by locals. The Government, however, ignored the resentment and brought out a notice on November 14. The notification was also not accepted well by the tribal community of the district and a joint forum was constituted here in the district in the name of the SAMBS to fight against the move.
Veteran tribal leaders of the district like MlA George Trikey, former Raghunathpalli MlA Halu Mundari joined the forum. On Saturday morning, hundreds of tribal with national flags on their hand under the leadership of MlA Tirkey and former Raghunathpali MlA Halu Mundari reached in a procession shouting slogans against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the anti tribal policy.
Municipal Commissioner Durga Mohapatra, however, said the tribal protestors would be convinced to withdraw stir and efforts in the direction were on. “Sundargarh is a schedule area which comes under the purview of PESA (Panchayat Extension of Scheduled Area) Act and therefore including panchayat areas in Municipal Corporation is fully illegal,” said MlA Trikey, adding, “If the Government does not withdraw the notification, the tribals would be forced to take law into their hands.