At a time Rourkela city is jubilant after the declaration of corporation status, tribals staged a five-hour demonstration on the Ring Road, protesting decision on Wednesday.
Jhirpani gram panchayat, which also has been included with the proposed Rourkela Municipal Corporation, also signed a resolution here on Wednesday protesting the decision of the Government.
Sources said demand for the corporation status to Rourkela Municipality had reached at its peak, particularly after different organizations of the city and the opposition political parties like Congress and BJP were on an agitation mode through street corner meetings, in favor of the corporation status. The declaration of corporation status by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday obviously was welcomed at several quarters.
On Wednesday morning, a group of about 150 tribal persons, all residents of different areas of steel city, staged a road blockade on the Ring Road, near Bisra road square, protesting the declaration of corporation status. The road blockade was vacated by police after about one hour but they continued to stage a demonstration at that spot. During their demonstration, they shouted slogans against Naveen Patnaik Government and claimed that they would not allow implementation of the corporation status to the city.
“Sundargarh has been a schedule area and according to PESA Act, the entire district should be in Panchayat and there should be no municipality here,” said Christophar Kerketa, a leader of the group. “Already four municipalities, including Rourkela municipality, have been illegally functioning and now the Government had given the tag of corporation status, which is not acceptable,” Kerketa said, adding “We will not allow Rourkela to be converted to a corporation.”
Similarly, convening an emergency meeting, Jhirpani Gram Panchayat on Wednesday took a resolution that the villagers would oppose inclusion of their locality in the corporation. “We have been under a panchayat and getting necessary support. But inclusion in a corporation will unnecessarily increase tax burden on the people of our area without much facility,” argued Jhirpani Sarpanch Khada Kujur.
A procession in favour of the declaration of corporation was carried out on the main road area of the city by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), here on Wednesday, where in people from different walks of life and different organisations participated. Rourkela unit president Nihar Ray in a Press statement welcomed the declaration but suggested inclusion of some other areas instead of areas like Jhirpani to avoid controversies.