Cuttack, Oct. 12: The public hearing on the proposed three million tonnes per annum capacity cement plant was today disrupted and deferred as the project's opponents and its supporters clashed at Kolthpangi in Athagarh tehsil, 30km from here.

Initially, opponents of the Ultratech Cement Limited project did not allow peaceful conduct of the hearing by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board. Tension was triggered at the venue when some among the project supporters tried to bully them down. Then the groups clashed hurling chairs at each other, forcing the Cuttack district authorities to adjourn the hearing.

The incident occurred between 11am and 11.30am. "Though tension had prevailed in the area for some time, the situation was brought under control," Cuttack (rural) police superintendent Madhab Chandra Sahoo said. There were no arrests. "But, we will take action against the trouble-makers, who disrupted the public hearing depriving villagers of the area the opportunity to express their grievances."

The state government had provided 90 acres between Kolthpangi and Khamarugaon in Gurudjhatia and Radhakishorepur gram panchayats, respectively, for the plant. It was alleged that gochar land (cow grazing land) was diverted for it.

Sources said nearly 1,000 people gathered at the venue. While BJP activists backed the villagers opposing the project, their BJD counterparts reached the venue with party flags.

The police did not allow anybody to enter with party flags into the public hearing venue area.

Local leader Amarendra Rout and Gurudijhatia gram panchayat sarpanch Pragyanshu Ranjan Mohapatra, who led the opponents of the project, started expressing their grievances. At that time, the project supporters booed them to stop complaining, leading to the clash.

In the process Rout and Mohapatra suffered injuries, apart from 18 others.