Bhubaneswar, May 22: Residents of Daruthenga village on the city outskirts today blocked the national highway 77 demanding relocation of Bhuasuni dumping yard from their area.

Hundreds of villagers disrupted the traffic movement on the highway for around 90 minutes demanding relocation of the yard and also protesting against the proposed waste-to-energy plant at the site.

On Friday, residents didn't let the officials of the private firm, which has been entrusted with the job of installation of the proposed power plant at the site, to enter the site.

"We have been opposing the dumping of garbage at the site as it is polluting the air and the underground water sources. Though the civic body had agreed to relocate the dumping yard to Tulasideipur, it is hell bent on setting up the power plant at Bhuasuni. The plant will also cause pollution in our area," said Darutheng sarpanch Prashant Kumar Routray.

The residents have been protesting since beginning of this year demanding relocation of the dumping yard. The agitators had even locked up the gates to prevent vehicles from dumping garbage. The agitation had also forced the civic body and district administration officials to conduct a meeting with the villagers in March.

"We have been suffering for a long time. The foul smell emanating from the garbage has made our lives miserable. Though we have been staging demonstrations, the civic body has refused to listen to our grievances. We don't find any reason why the corporation should not shift the dumping yard and the proposed power plant," said Narayan Sahoo, another villager.

Following the agitation, one platoon of police personnel was deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward incident. The agitation came to an end with the intervention of senior police officials. Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena requested the villagers to cooperate with the civic body.

"We have already assured them to look into the problems faced by them. Besides, we are also examining the feasibility of shifting the dumping yard to another suitable location as demanded by the villagers. They should support us instead of disrupting the process of garbage disposal," said Jena.