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Intensifying their demands for transfer of Block Development Officer (BDO) Pallabi Rani Raj, the members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) observed a six-hour bandh from 6 am to 12 pm at Koida in Sundargarh district on Tuesday.
The agitating members blocked roads at important junctions affecting the vehicular movement in the city. While the business establishments and other institutions remain closed, emergency services including education institutes and movement of buses were exempted from the bandh.
Alleging improper utilisation of developmental funds and unruly behaviour towards the public representative, the agitators demanded immediate transfer of the officer.
“We have been opposing the BDO ever since she joined here. We were aware of her involvement in the irregularities at Lephripara, so we opposed her appointment. She has done no developmental work in Koida,” a protestor alleged.
The CPI (M) had called to shut down block, tehsil, mines department deputy director’s offices during the bandh.
On the other hand, the Kudumi Sena observed six-hour bandh in Mayurbhanj district demanding the inclusion of the community in the Scheduled Caste (SC) list.
As part of bandh, the agitating members of the outfit blocked several places on National Highways- 18 and 49 affecting normal life.
Several vehicles were stranded on the both sides of the National Highways as the protesting members blocked the road
demanding fulfilment of their demands.
“We demand the State government to propose the centre to include our community in the SC category. We have been demanding the same since the last 12 years but in vain,” said Jayamuni Mahanta, chairman of Kudumi Sena.
“We were earlier included in the SC category. But later we were excluded from the category without any prior information. We only demand our SC status,” said Paresh Mahanta, an agitator.
(Reported by Pawan Tiwari and Maniklal Pani, OTV)
