Case Registered Against MLA, Ex-MLA For ‘Blocking’ Coal Transport In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A case has been registered against former Jharsuguda MLA Dipali Das and Rengali MLA Sudarshan Haripal for allegedly blocking movement of NLC India Limited’s coal-transporting vehicles at Talabira in Odisha’s Sambalpur.

According to sources, villagers from Patrapali and Malda panchayats in Jharsuguda district and Khinda panchayat in Sambalpur staged a dharna at the company’s entrance gate and stopped the movement of coal-transporting vehicles from 11 am to 10.30 pm on September 20.

Alleging that the blockade caused significant financial losses and also affected government revenue in terms of royalty, the company lodged a complaint against the MLA, ex-MLA and 13 others for leading the agitation.

Terming the FIR unfortunate, Haripal and Dipali said that they were supporting the villagers, who had earlier met the district administration and NLC officials and informed them about their demands, including employment to the locals, a hospital in the area and a ban on illegal blasting of houses in the mining area, and the plan to stage a protest if those are not met.