Tribals hold rally against environmental pollutition

ROURKELA: People of Orissa's tribal dominated Sundergarh district held a rally under the banner of ���Anchalik Surakhya Samittee��� and vowed to fight alleged oppression in the name of industrilisation.

The Samittee leaders while observing ���Kranti Diwas��� at Hariharpur near here on Monday demanded an early action to check pollution due to several sponge iron units, creating environmental hazards in nearby tribal villages.

The speakers at the rally also demanded employment to local tribals who had lost their land and property for the on going industrialisation and peripheral development work by the industry owners.

They also sought social security to the poor rural tribals and halt to alleged anti-labour attitude. George Tirkey, former MLA and president of Sundergarh Mazdoor Sangh, who had been leading the Samittee, said he along with 131 others including tribal women, were jailed by the local administration on March 24 last year, for fighting against the industry owners to fulfill their demands.

The rallyists submitted a memorandum addressed to the President at the tehsildar's office.