M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Jan 31: Irate and frustrated residents of Orsa panchayat staged more than four hours of blockade on state highway 9 today in Mahuadanr in Latehar district, paralyzing all modes of traffic during the period.
The residents were furious that their demand for a motorable road between Ansari More and the opening of Chhattisgarh state since long has not been met yet.
They were frustrated with the MLAs, MPs and government officials for not doing anything in this regard in all these years.
The villagers said MLAs and MPs only take their votes to leave them in the lurch.
The road that the Orsa panchayat people want connects Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh. Between the two states, there is also Chechari Ghati which has a lot of sand and morrum. According to the residents, it has the potential to expand rural job opportunities.
The blockade ended after civil and police officials’ intervention. The jam was lifted past nine in the morning.
SDPO Mahuadanr Rajesh Kujur and officer in-charge of Mahuadanr police station Ashutosh Yadav had a tough time pacifying the agitators on the highway.
The local Congress MLA Ramchandar Singh said the tiger reserve officials are a big hindrance in the construction of this road.
The MLA said around 7 kilometers of this road out of 13 kilometers falls in the Mahuadanr wolf sanctuary of the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
“The tiger reserve officials are denying issuance of the ‘no objection certificate’ to this stretch of around 7 kilometers of road just because of its falling in the wolf sanctuary,” rued the MLA.
The MLA said a battle line is drawn between the public and the tiger reserve. He said he has full support for the demand of the public in regard to this road.
On the other hand, chief conservator of forest and field director of the PTR Kumar Ashutosh said he would look into this problem.
According to sources, under the Wildlife Protection Act, there is a long procedure for carrying out any activity not related to the wildlife like road construction, culvert, drainage, shed etc which is misconstrued as tiger reserve blocking or destroying the prospects and chances of development etc.
Permission for road construction etc in national park, sanctuary or tiger reserve goes up to the state board of wildlife and even National Tiger Conservation Authority is to be taken into confidence.
The MLA said the tiger reserve officials are testing the patience of the common people which is right now on the verge of exploding.
He appealed to the tiger reserve officials to be sympathetic towards the demand of the common people and issue no objection certificate to the construction of road in the stretch falling in the wolf sanctuary.
Around 7,000 people of the area suffer acutely for want of a road from Ansari More to the opening of Chhattisgarh which the MLA said is a daily ordeal for them.
Meanwhile, the desperate villagers also made a unique demand.
They demanded that the Orsa panchayat be cut-off from Jharkhand and given to Chhattisgarh.
