Odisha villagers blow conch, perform ‘sankirtan’ in protest over delayed temple bills

Villagers of Gopinathprasad in Ayatapur Panchayat took an unusual approach to protest by blowing conch (shankh) and performing peaceful sankirtan outside the Banpur Block Office in Khurda district against pending bills in the construction of a temple in their village.

Without causing any trouble to anyone, the villagers peacefully blew ‘conch’ and performed sankirtan as a sign of protest against the pending bills. The unique protest has grabbed eyeballs and become the talk of the town.

According to sources, a total of Rs 4 lakh was allocated for the peripheral development of Chaitanya Dev Temple, as part of 'Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha' scheme for the 2023-24 financial year. However, the villagers claim, they got only Rs 2.63 lakh while the Junior Engineer (JE) took a commission of Rs 35,000.

The remaining amount is still pending. Frustrated by the ongoing delay in disbursing the remaining funds, locals resorted to this distinctive cultural form of demonstration. They expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged wait and alleged malpractices, urging quicker resolution to their grievances, said sources.

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“The bill amounted to Rs 4 lakh. But, they have only given us Rs 2.63 lakh. Moreover, the JE has taken Rs 35K as PC. Neither they are making the bill for the rest money or taking steps to pay all the dues. When we alerted the BDO about the incident, she is making fake promises and extending dates. So, today we resorted to our unique protest,” said a local, Surya Narayan Dalei.

When contacted, the Block Development Officer (BDO) Sheetal Agarwal assured an investigation into the matter to facilitate the clearance of pending bills.

“I came to know about this today. Definitely, I will launch an enquiry personally. If any bill is pending due to some reason, immediately, we will try to clear it in a couple of days,” the BDO said.