JE deaths: Cong stages road blockade in all dist headquarters

Bhubaneswar: The Congress staged road blockade in all district headquarters across the state for two hours from 10 AM to 12 noon today demanding Rs 12 lakh compensation, each, for the family members of the children, who died due to Japanese Encephalitis.

Vehicular movement came to a standstill between Koraput and Nabarangpur when the Congress activists blocked the road at the Koraput district headquarters traffic square. Many vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road. Pottangi MLA Ramachandra Kadam and Laxmipur MLA Kailash Kulasika joined the protest, among others. The Nabarangpur district committee also staged road blockade.

On Sunday, party unit vice-president Pradeep Majhi alleged that the State Government is showing a step-motherly attitude towards Malkangiri. While the government gave compensation of Rs 12 lakh for accidental deaths in the SUM Hospital fire mishap, it has announced an exgratia of only Rs 3 lakh for the JE victims. He further said, “The government announced to give Rs 3 lakh compensation to only 37 victims’ families. However, over 500 children have died of the disease in four months. The government is hiding this.”

He further warned that the Congress would further intensify its demonstration and take it to villages if the State Government fails to fulfil the demands.

Notably, Majhi and MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria along with his supporters had been on a strike in front of the Governor’s House since December 21 pressing for the demands and protesting the government apathy towards Dalits and Adivasis.