Rourkela, Oct. 18: Irate villagers today attempted to disrupt the rehabilitation and periphery development advisory committee’s meeting at Sundargarh and pelt Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram’s car with stones damaging its rear window.

When the meeting started, around 500 villagers, mostly belonging to Koisinga village, rushed to the spot. They were shouting slogans, demanding justice. However, policemen deployed at the venue controlled the situation.

Sources said some people suffered injuries in the commotion.

There are two major power projects coming up in Sundargarh — a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) project at Bhedabahal and another at Darlipalli for which the auctions are in process. The meeting, held at Bikash Bhavan, was about the second project for which the process of land acquisition has started.

Top officials of the district administration such as Oram, MLA Jogesh Singh and the committee members were present at the meeting, which regional development commissioner (northern range) Pramod Kumar Meherda chaired. Speaking to The Telegraph, Sundargarh collector B.S. Punia said: “The meeting was a regular affair. We were discussing about the relief and rehabilitation site for the Darlipalli project.”

“The NTPC project is going on smoothly. But, local villagers are showing discontent about the Darlipalli project,” said Punia.

Most of the concerned villagers of the area are demanding revaluation of the land taken by the government for the project. District administration sources said: “The evaluation of the agricultural land has not been done properly. Hence the villagers demand for re-evaluation.”