Tribals rally against separate dist demand

ROURKELA: The demand for separate district status for Rourkela has met with fierce opposition from tribals of Sundargarh district. The tribals under Sundargarh Zilla Adivasi Mulwasi Bachao Manch (SZAMBM), Adivasi Mulniwasi  Adhikar Suraksha Manch and PESA Gram Sabha on Thursday took out a rally to counter the demand. 

Led by Birmitrapur MLA, George Tirkey, they marched in a procession from Bisra Square to ADM office and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal.

Tirkey said Sundargarh is a Scheduled District under the provisions of the Fifth Schedule of Constitution where constitutional provisions protect tribal rights. He said the attempt to bifurcate Sundargarh would imbalance tribal population and once the district loses its Scheduled status, all special rights of tribal people would abolish.

Sources said Tirkey is expected to be the Congress nominee for Sundaragrh Parliamentary Constituency and the issue of bifurcation of Sundargarh has the potential to polarise tribal masses in interior pockets.