Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, March 4: Rural representatives of 13 panchayats of Jamshedpur block including Bagbera, Loco Colony, Parsudih, Karandih and Govindpur voiced their discontent over the lack of development initiatives on railway-owned land. Led by Panchayat Committee member Sunil Gupta, the representatives threatened to escalate their protest by submitting a demand letter to the District Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Block Development Officer (BDO) of Jamshedpur.
The demand letter, comprising five key points, urges authorities to resume development activities at the panchayat level on railway land. Gupta highlighted that crucial projects such as Anganwadi construction, road-laying and construction work, and infrastructure development worth crore of rupees had been held up due to directives from the Railways, causing significant inconvenience to locals.
Expressing their frustration, Gupta stated that if swift action was not taken, all panchayat representatives would stage a protest in front of the Railway office. Allegations were made against the railway administration, accusing them of hindering local development efforts despite funds being allocated by MLAs and MPs.
Moreover, the representatives lamented the railway’s refusal to handle basic services like garbage collection, exacerbating sanitation issues in the area and posing health risks.
The demand letter was handed over by representatives including Sunil Gupta, Sushil Kumar Soso, Satyaveer Singh Bagga, Raina Purty, Kishore Singh, Azad Samanta, Debashish Mardi, Chandraya Tudu, Mukhiya Joba Mardi, Neenu Kudada, Sumi Kerai, Mayawati Tudu and others. Earlier discussions in the monthly meeting of Panchayat Samiti members brought this issue to the forefront, with assurances from Block Development Officer Sudha Verma to seek a solution.
