Kalinga Nagar Tribals ends 14 mnths road blockade

Bhubaneswar, Mar 09: The tribals of Kalinga Nagar, the steel hub of Orissa, today announced to lift a 14-month road blockade on the Paradeep-Daitari Express Highways from midnight last night putting at rest all speculation of use of force to carry out the High Court order.

Bisthapan Birodhi Janamanch, the tribal outfit spearheading the agitation, against land acquisition for industry purposes in Kalinga Nagar ever since 13 tribals were killed in Police firing on January 2 last year,took the decision to lift the road blockade after a close door meeting with the tribal leaders of the area.

Janamanch secretary Rabindra Jarika told reporters at Kalinga Nagar midnight last night that they decided to withdraw the road blockade to pay respect to the order of the Orissa High court which has set a deadline for the government to clear the traffic by March 9.

The authority had mobilised nearly 35 platoons of armed forces and promulgated prohibitory orders under section 144CrPc as a precautionary measures in the area to ensure that the High Court order was implemented before the deadline.

Mr Jarika, however, clarified that their agitation against the land acquisition would continue and they would not allow a single inch of land for the Tata Steel project and other industries coming up in their area.

Jajpur District Collector Arabindha Padhi and Superintendent of Police Asit Kumar Panigrahi made a last minute effort yesterday to resolve the impassie and persuade the tribals to lift the road blockade but in vain.

Kalinga Nagar witnessed a bloody battle between the police and the tribals on January 2 last year when the latter opposed the construction of a boundary wall of the Steel Plant proposed by the Tata Steel. The clash took an ugly turn when the police opened fire killing 12 tribals on the spot and later another succumbed to injuries in a hospital. The armed tribals also lynched a police constable and injured several others to protest the construction work.

Since then the tribals of Kalinga Nagar blocked the Paradeep- Daitari Express Highway and demanded resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Finance Minister P C Ghadei and prosecution of the Director General of Police, the then District Collector, the Superintendent of Police and compensation of Rs 15 lakh to the next kin of those killed in police firing.

The state government had ordered a judicial inquiry and announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh, besides a job to the next of the kin, but the tribals rejected the offer and instead continued their agitation in support of their demands.

The Janamanch leaders had even two rounds of discussion with the Chief Minister but both the meetings failed to evolve any solution to the year-long agitation by the tribals.

The tribals have further demanded that the five pairs of chopped palms of the tribals killed in police firing should be returned to the family members for cremation and the cases registered against them be withdrawn.

The government also agreed to the proposals and the chopped palms were sent to them on Wednesday last, but the tribals instead of cremating them returned these palms to the district administration and refused to give any assurances for lifting the road blockade.

The tribals were told by the district administration no condition should be made for implementing the High court direction to lift the road blockade. They were also categorically told that the various problems of the Kalinga Nagar should not be linked with the withdrawal of the road blockade.

UNI