lawyers started economic blockade demainding high court bench

While the separate kosal statehood demand is going on in western Orissa, the lawyers’ agitation seems fueling the movement. On Saturday lawyers of the region went on to block the good trucks plying on the national highways. ‘Economic blockade’, what exactly they termed it was started from Saturday morning and concluded in the evening. As a result to this thousands of good trucks remained unmoved on the road sides of the NH 6.

“We have decided not to disturb the common people and passengers going through passenger buses and private cars. Our target was good trucks. Today it was symbolic but if the government does not take appropriate step for the establishment of the high court bench in Sambalpur immediately than we would paralyze transportation of goods for days together’, president of the Sambalpur district bar association Pradeep Kumar Bohidar told.

“Besides two/three minor incidents, the agitation was totally peaceful. Armed police were deployed on various part of the national high way in view of the agitation of lawyers.”, DSP (Sambalpur) Dinabandhu Patel told.

According to him, a case has been registered with Sadar police basing on the complaint of the lawyers against a truck driver who was inebriated condition and attacked the lawyers while they were blocking the truck on the national high way 6 near Sindurpank outskirt of Sambalpur. “We receive complaint of 2/3 minor incidents where lawyers and truck drivers exchanged hot words during the road blockade agitation. But overall it was totally peaceful”, DSP Patel added.

It may be informed that the lawyers of western part of the state have decided to boycott the court works on last 3 working days of each months in support of their long pending demand of establishment of a permanent bench of high court in western Orissa. But this time they began ‘economic blockade’ on Saturday being it was the last working day of December.

“We thank the people of Sambalpur for extending their cooperation in our agitation. We urged the government to take immediate step for the establishment of the high court bench in western orissa before the situation goes out of the hand”, General secretary of the Bar association Chittaranjan Panda told.

“We have been agitating for a long time but due to the apathetic attitude we will force to support the separate statehood demand going on in western Orissa to achieve our demand”, Panda suggested