Chatra (Jharkhand), July 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Public anger has intensified in Jharkhand's Chatra district following the death of a CRPF jawan in a road accident in Simaria.
The agitation has brought traffic to a standstill on the Chatra-Hazaribagh and Chatra-Tandwa-Ranchi main roads, with long queues of vehicles stranded on both routes.
The blockade that began on Thursday evening was continuing as of 4 p.m. on Friday, disrupting traffic on key routes and highlighting long-standing concerns over coal transportation and road safety.
Protesters have been demanding adequate compensation for the deceased jawan's family, the arrest of the driver responsible for the accident, and a complete halt to coal transportation on the Chatra-Hazaribagh road.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening near Delho Valley in the Simaria police station area, where a speeding truck hit CRPF personnel Lakshman Kumar Yadav, 28, who was travelling on a motorcycle.
He was initially taken to Simaria Referral Hospital and later referred to hospitals in Hazaribagh and Ranchi. However, he succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
A resident of Birajpur village in Chatra Sadar police station area, Yadav was posted with the CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir. He had returned home about a week ago on a month's leave.
Following the accident, the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. Police have seized the truck and launched a search operation to apprehend the accused driver.
Enraged by the incident, family members and area residents staged a road blockade with the victim's body. Protesters alleged that hundreds of coal-laden trucks pass through the route every day and that speeding, overloading and unregulated operations have repeatedly led to fatal accidents.
They accused the administration, CCL, NTPC and other agencies of failing to implement effective road-safety measures despite recurring tragedies.
According to the protesters, several people have lost their lives in accidents involving coal transport vehicles in the past, but no concrete action has been taken to prevent such incidents.
Former Labour Minister and RJD leader Satyanand Bhokta, who joined the protest, said coal from Hazaribagh was being transported through Chatra at the cost of local residents' safety. He alleged that CCL and NTPC were ignoring public safety concerns.
Former JMM candidate from Simaria Assembly constituency Manoj Chandra said the accidents had generated widespread resentment among local residents.
He asserted that the agitation would continue until coal transportation was stopped and permanent road-safety measures were put in place.
Meanwhile, local officials, including Simaria BDO Chandradev Prasad, Circle Officer Gaurav Roy and Station House Officer Suryapratap Singh, have been holding talks with protesters to resolve the standoff.
However, no breakthrough had been achieved till the filing of this report, and the blockade remained in place. Police said efforts were underway to arrest the absconding driver and that the situation was being closely monitored.
Source: IANS
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