A deserted street in Balangir during the strike on Monday. Telegraph picture

Balangir, June 18: A dawn-to-dusk strike call given by the Lower Suktel Project Action Committee demanding start of the work of the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project paralysed life here today.

All government and private offices in this district headquarters township remained closed. While business establishments downed their shutters, vehicular movement was also paralysed because of the strike call.

The district collector’s office also couldn’t function for the seventh consecutive day as protesters locked all the gates of the collectorate and didn’t allow any officials, including the collector, to enter the office premises.

The protesters, led by the Lower Suktel Project Action Committee, took out a motorcycle rally in the morning demanding immediate start of the work of the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project and proper rehabilitation for the families displaced by the project.

Later, they forcibly closed down various offices in the town. Convener of Lower Suktel Project Action Committee Arun Mishra said the bandh was successful as “people from all walks of life extended spontaneous support” to their cause.

“The spontaneous co-operation of the people of the town to the strike call proves their support to the project. The movement is gaining momentum and a mass movement is in the offing. We have paralysed the functioning of the district collectorate for the seventh consecutive day today. We have also decided to block the Balangir-Patnagarh Road for an indefinite period from tomorrow. Villagers from the Lower Suktel Irrigation Project area will also take part in the road blockade,” he said, adding that the movement had the backing of several organisations, such as the citizens’ committee, the district bar association, the Utkal Yadav Samaj, the Zilla Adivasi Kalyan Sangh and the Koshal Kranti Dal.

Talks between the district administration and the Lower Suktel Project Action Committee regarding starting of the project work failed yesterday as the district collector termed some demands of the committee as “unacceptable”.

Balangir district collector Sailendra Narayan Dey said: “As the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2011, has not been finalised yet, it is not possible to compensate the displaced families according to the provisions of that policy.”