Ethanol factory protest: Nirmal Collector issues order stopping work on project

The Collector said that a report on the protests by farmers belonging to Dilawarpur, Gundampalli and surrounding villages against the establishment of the factory and their apprehensions was submitted to the CM office

Nirmal: Collector Abhilasha Abhinav ordered the management of an under-construction ethanol factory to stop work on the factory.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Abhilasha said that a report on the protests by farmers belonging to Dilawarpur, Gundampalli and surrounding villages against the establishment of the factory and their apprehensions was submitted to the office of Chief Minister. An order was issued asking the management to halt the work, the statement read.

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The Collector earlier held consultations with the residents including women and children from Dilawarpur mandal centre, Gundampalli, Mukundapur, Samundarpalli villages continued to stage a rasta-roko carrying boxes of pesticides on NH 61 for the second day since morning on Wednesday.

She requested them to stop the protest, assuring that the issue was already brought to the notice of the government. However, the farmers reportedly chose to continue their protest, prompting her to issue the order, temporarily ending the issue and calming the protests.

As many as 23 farmers were booked on Wednesday on charges of causing inconvenience to the public by staging a sit-in on the national highway, vandalising vehicle of Nirmal RDO Ratna Kalyani, detaining her and obstructing to her duties during a sit-in conducted by villagers against establishment of an ethanol factory on the national highway 61 in Dilawarpur mandal headquarters on Tuesday.

The protest turned violent when some agitators reportedly damaged the vehicle of the RDO Kalyani who held consultations with the farmers on Tuesday evening. They prevented her from leaving the spot by stopping her vehicle. They threw fire into the vehicle. Police present at the spot extinguished the fire. Kalyani was already shifted to a hospital in Nirmal town after she fainted at 9.30 pm.