Hunger strike called off after assurance to shift dump yard

Bhubaneswar: The indefinite hunger strike by members of the Sainik School Banchao, Alia Gada Hatao Abhiyan in front of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) was called off Wednesday following assurances from officials that a time-bound deadline would be issued to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for relocating the Alia Gada dumping yard.

The hunger strike saw participation from over 200 local residents and campaign members, including convener Dilip Dash Sharma, secretary Sandeep Das, Lalat Keshari Jena, and others.

Despite heavy rain, campaign members continued their protest demanding the removal of the illegal solid waste processing unit near Sainik School.

On Tuesday, OSPCB had sent a written appeal urging them to call off the strike, assuring that the issue would be taken up with the Housing and Urban Development department.

During the strike Wednesday, senior OSPCB scientist Usharani Patnaik informed the protesters that the board would set a specific deadline for the BMC to relocate the dumping yard. She also assured that further action would be taken as per legal procedures.

The board clarified that the BMC had been granted a Conditional Consent to Operate (CTO) for a limited period, solely to process the waste already accumulated at the site — a permission that could be revoked at any time.

Following the assurance, the protesters decided to temporarily suspend their hunger strike but warned that they would resume their agitation if the deadline was not met.

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