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Remove road blockade on NH 200: court

Correspondent

Protesters vow to continue stir

Cuttack: Expressing anguish over the State Government's failure to remove the road blockade on National Highway-200 near Kalinga Nagar, the High Court on Friday directed the government to immediately remove the blockade and provide police protection to vehicles plying on that road.

Tribals of Kalinga Nagar had been staging the blockade for one year ever since police firing in the area on January 2 last year that left 13 triblas dead.

On the first anniversary of the incident on Tuesday, the protesters vowed that they would continue the blockade till their demands were met.

Writ plea

The court order came while adjudicating a writ petition filed by one Chamara Soy of the locality who claimed a compensation of Rs. 10 lakhs from the government as his 14-year-old son died due to delay in treatment caused by the blockade in May last year.

The court had earlier directed the government to pay an interim compensation of Rs. 10,000 to Soy in September last.

Stringent action

Taking up the case on Friday, the Bench comprising Justice B.P. Das and Justice M.M. Das directed the Collector and the SP of Jajpur to take immediate steps to remove the blockade and restore normal traffic on the highway.

The court also directed local authorities to take stringent actions against protesters who virtually took control of the road.

The court also directed the State Home Secretary to file an affidavit by February 2, 2007, stating the number of road blockades that had been staged in the entire State during the past one year and what action had been taken against the protesters who paralysed traffic bringing untold miseries to commuters.

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