Villagers of Balanda affected by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) mining projects have been staging an indefinite dharna for the past three days in front of the office of the general manager of Jagannath coal mine under MCL's command area. These villagers have demanded jobs for 7 people in lieu of land acquired by MCL.
They alleged that there is a conspiracy to give jobs to only 26 persons even though the state government and the MCL authorities have agreed to provide 45 jobs. The villagers had initially planned to stop the operations of the Jagannath and Bharatpur coal mines but settled for dharna on the request of company authorities.