Jajpur: Tension prevailed at the Ramco under-construction plant area at Haridaspur in the district on Thursday after the local residents, mostly land-losers, staged a protest alleging non-fulfilment of promises by the plant authorities.
More than two hundred of people who have given their arable land for the cement grinding plant here, prevented the private company's vehicles transporting sand to the plant site.
The problem started in the morning with many people from Muraripur, Jogada and Raghunathpur stopped the sand trucks. They accused Ramco of sidelining the local people and land-losers while deploying people from elsewhere in contract jobs. Consequently, civil construction work at the plant has been completely disrupted.
"We gave our land to the upcoming cement company and lost our livelihood with a hope that the plant authorities would employ us. But, the plant authorities have given contract jobs to outsiders by sideling the local people," said Prasant Nayak, an agitator.
The protesters said they had earlier staged protests demanding the supply of drinking water, good motorable road and awarding of contract jobs to the people living in the nearby villages.
"The company authorities had agreed to our demands. But, instead of providing the contractual work to us, the company authorities have given them to outsiders," said Rabindra Jena, another agitator.
Adequate police force have been deployed at the site. Dharmasala police station-in-charge Umakanta Nayak has been camping at the site.
Ramco deputy general manager S.K. Prusty said the plant authorities had entrusted the construction work to L&T and the agency was looking into it. He said the construction works of the plant had been completely disrupted because of the protest.