Sambalpur residents gherao SMC office

SAMBALPUR: As many as 102 families from ward number 15 of the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) area, near Laxmi Dungri hill, gheraoed the SMC office on Monday, demanding compensation and alternative arrangements before their displacement due to the expansion of National Highway 53.

A notice from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) instructed these families to vacate their unauthorised occupation on NH-53 within seven days, citing safety concerns for traffic. However, the eviction has been temporarily halted following directives from Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari.

On the day, over 200 residents marched from their locality to the SMC office in Durgapali, covering around 1 km, and staged a dharna in front of the office. They also submitted a memorandum outlining their demands.

Resident Rahul Modak stated that they received the eviction notice around Rath Yatra. However, due to the intervention of the revenue minister, the NHAI postponed the eviction for three months, until after the monsoon. “We are demanding appropriate compensation and a permanent settlement before this grace period ends. Many daily wagers live in the area and will suffer badly from the displacement. We were advised to meet the SMC commissioner to discuss the issue,” he added.

The demands in the memorandum included four decimals of land and financial support for building houses. The residents have also urged the SMC commissioner and NHAI to hold a meeting with the residents of Laxmi Dungri village to find a suitable resolution.

The area near the Laxmi Dungri hill, a vulnerable 700-metre stretch, becomes particularly dangerous during the monsoon due to frequent landslides, disrupting traffic on the Mumbai-Kolkata highway. In response, a project worth Rs 37 crore was approved for constructing a tunnel at Laxmi Dungri by NHAI.