Road blockade at Kalinga Nagar lifted

Jajpur (Orissa), March 14: Tension continued to prevail in the Kalinga Nagar steel hub for the second day on Friday following Thursday's firing in which a supporter of Visthapan Virodhi Janamanch was injured.

Hundreds of tribal men and women had blocked the highway near Ambagadia village since Thursday evening.

The blockade, however, was lifted on Friday afternoon after top police and administration officials of the district held discussions with a seven-member delegation of the Janamanch.

The Janamanch leaders demanded adequate compensation for Jogendra Jamunda who was injured in the firing and immediate arrest of the unidentified youths who fired at him.

"We have also demanded that our previous demands regarding land and displacement should be fulfilled without delay," secretary of the Janamanch Rabindra Jarika said.

"The tribals have withdrawn the blockade after we assured them that action would be taken against the three attackers within a week," said Jajpur Collector Dhiren Das.

The Janamanch has warned that they would again block the road if the police failed to nab the miscreants within seven days.

The Janamanch has been strongly opposing establishment of a steel plant by Tata Steel in the area since 14 tribal men and women were killed in police firing on January 2, 2006.