Angul, Nov. 28: Two coal mines at Talcher continued to remain closed for the seventh day today even after hundreds of protesters were evacuated by police on Thursday from the protest sites. Both coal production and dispatch has been totally stopped due to blockades put up by villagers.
About 500 villagers, who were evicted from the site on Thursday, resumed their protests and paralysed the two mines of Hingula and Balaram. The villagers of one of the affected villages of Hinguila mine, Kalamchin, are demanding more than 600 jobs on rehabilitation grounds. But the demand was turned down by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) saying they should hand over their lands first.
MCL, which for the first time in recent years not yielding to strikes, said many people do not vacate their land after getting a job so they should demolish their houses first.
The deadlock persists even after a high level meeting chaired by district collector on Tuesday and other initiative by Talcher sub collector and sub divisional police officer .Police on Thursday picked up about 500 agitating village people including some women from the mine’s site to Deulbera colony. They were released by police without arrest.
“Managing such a large number of people including women and old men in jail was not possible so we decided not to arrest and let off on Thursday night', said sub collector Nirmal MIshra.He said that after their release they again blocked the mines.
Making the MCL and local administration responsible for the mess, Purna Chandra Sahu, Kalamchuin village committee president who leads the stir, said “we will continue to stop the mining for indefinite period till our demand to get 630 jobs at a time is met forthwith. “We demand job and rehabilitation site in order to shift from our village,' he said asking 'where we will go after leaving our houses when no rehabilitation site is ready for us?'
Expressing concern over the loss of the production, general manager S.Srivastav of Hingule coal mines expressing concern over the loss of the production reposed hope on the high level meting to be held at state secretariat on this issue tomorrow Monday.
He said that so far the loss of coal production about 2.8 lakh tonne coal due to stir. All sorts of dispatch from two mines also were stopped from Monday last affecting coal supply to power plants in and outside the state he added..
