Keonjhar, Sep 10: Yesterday morning tension gripped the construction site area of the where the controversial bridge is to be built over river Kusei at Belabahali here owing which police had to spread tear gas shells and fire rubber bullets at the protestors.
It’s stated that the construction company hoisted red flags at the site just before the start of the construction work. But the villagers opposed who had been protesting the construction of the bridge. Argument evolved between the two leading to a violent clash. Later, police reached the spot to cool down the situation and pacify the irate villagers. However, the situation went out of control. Thus, unable to get matters into control the police resorted to fire tear gas shells and rubber bullets so that the crowd gets dispersed. At least two policemen and five protestors were injured while fighting with the furious villagers. In the meantime, police forces have been deployed at the area to prevent any law and order situation.
Notably, the villagers belonging to Belabahali have been annoyed since a year and have been protesting the construction of bridge over the river Kusei on the national highway no. 215 in Anandpur subdivision. On July 7 last year, villagers and police had come face to face thus demanding the relocation of the proposed bridge site resulting in over hundreds of villagers getting arrested and jailed. To this, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had made its intervention in the matter and had asked for an action taken report from the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) elaborating on the action taken against the police officers who had caused injury to the villagers at Belabahali.
Yielding to the opposition of the villagers to the site of the bridge, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had appointed an expert team comprising of experts from IIT Kharagpur and former Works department secretary, G C Mitra to re-examine the location of the bridge and its design. The expert team in its report stated that the site and design of the bridge was suitable and had recommended for going ahead with it. A PIL team was also filed in the Orissa High court opposing the construction of the bridge to which the High Court, on August 30 this year, rejected the petition and refused to interfere in the decision of the Technical Committee over the construction of the bridge.
