Bhubaneswar, Oct. 7: Hundreds of residents of Ambagaon village in Koraput district today protested against the construction of a boundary wall by the National Aluminium Company (Nalco) at Damanjodi defying the prohibitory order imposed by the district administration.

The protesters also involved schoolchildren in their demonstration.

When the situation snowballed into a law and order problem, the Koraput district administration deployed four platoons of police force to prevent any untoward incident. Since the area is affected by Maoist activities, the cops remained extra vigilant.

Following the direction of the district administration, senior police officials, including additional superintendent of police V.R. Rao and inspectors of Damanjodi, Sunabeda and Semiliguda police stations, are camping at the site and monitoring the situation.

'Though the company is active in bauxite mining in our area, it has failed to take up any development projects. It is now constructing a boundary wall on our land that it has encroached upon. We will not allow them to go ahead with the work till they take up development programmes in our area,' said a protester.

'We have no job. There is a drought-like situation in our area. Farmers are losing their crops. Fodders should be supplied for our livestock,' said another protester.

Koraput sub-collector Krutibas Rout said: 'We are in touch with the local residents and their representatives to sort out the problem. Work order for construction of the boundary wall had been issued seven to eight months ago. We hope things will improve shortly and the construction will begin soon.'

Officials maintained the boundary wall was being built on the land registered in the name of the Nalco.