Balangir, Aug. 30: A group of protesters have rejected the district collector’s appeal to call off their fast demanding the immediate start of work on Lower Suktel Irrigation Project.

Members of the Lower Suktel Project Action Committee, at a meeting on Wednesday, decided to call for a bandh in the district on Friday.

The fast-unto-death by seven committee members entered its fifth day today.

Kanhu Charan Mishra, one of the seven, was admitted to the district headquarters hospital here after he fell ill.

Balangir collector Debaraj Mishra had called on the activists, who are on a fast in front of the district collectorate here, and appealed to them to end their hunger strike.

He informed them that the government had decided to start the project work from September 27.

However, the protesters did not agree and said that the district administration had always tried to mislead them with false assurances.

Coordinator of the action committee Arun Mishra said the district administration had always betrayed the Suktel activists.

“Whenever there is a movement for the project, the district administration comes up with false promises to mislead us. This time, we are not going to make the mistake of trusting them. We may consider ending the strike only if the secretary of the water resources department or the revenue divisional commissioner of Sambalpur comes here and gives us a written undertaking,” Mishra said.

Mishra said the committee had decided to intensify the agitation and would observe Balangir bandh tomorrow.