Villagers, police clash over canal digging in Odisha’s Puri

Tension erupted over canal digging work at Haridas village under Brahmagiri block in Puri district on Monday.

As per reports, the villagers opposed the administration’s move and strongly protested against the canal digging work. They staged a sit-in on the spot to prevent the project work.

As a result, a scuffle reportedly broke out between the villagers and the police when officials arrived to carry out the canal excavation. 

Police detained some of the protesting villagers amid the confrontation. BNS Section 163 has been in force in the area, with heavy police deployment in the village.

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As per sources, a fund of over Rs 7 crore was allotted for the construction of the canal in the region. The project was sanctioned in 2013 to facilitate water discharge from Chilika.

However, the villagers have been protesting against the project by stating that they are dependent on shrimp cultivation for their livelihood and it will be affected by the canal project.

As per reports, Puri SP, SDPO, DSP, Sub-Collector, Local Tehsildar, BDO, more than 10 IICs and over 15 platoons police force were present on the spot to facilitate the project work.