After six-day shut down, Kaniha OCP starts operations with deployment of massive police

The main demands of the villagers  are to shift them to a new re-settlement site at Patharmunda,provision of employment to left out, compensation on land acquisition, provision of drinking water into their village and stop blasting which damages their houses.

Villagers said their village was acquired 17years ago but till now, they have not been shifted though the mining operations come very close to them. Despite several meetings with the district administration, villagers so far have not got the rehabilitation site at Patharamunda as proposed.

#Kaniha : Jarada village in Kaniha block of Angul district though was acquired 17years ago for Kaniha Coal Mine have not been resettled yet though the mining operations come very close to them.

For six days now,the villagers of Jarada have been continuing their dharna in the… pic.twitter.com/naAFU6hOJ4

— Jagada N Pradhan (@JagadaPradhan) January 12, 2025

A meeting was called at ADM level where the villagers were assured to wait for the next RPDAC meeting in February. The villagers rejected the offer and continued their strike.Today,a prohibiting order of 163 has been promulgated in the mine site and there was heavy deployment of police force and magistrate. The mining operations started but the villagers continued their dharna at the mining site.

Talcher sub collector Samir Jena confirmed the imposition of prohibitory orders in the mine and resumption of mining operation in Kaniha coal mine as he said power plants were suffering due to strike at coal mine.