Bonai: District Working Committee, a local outfit, has demanded district-hood for Bonai and called for a 12-hour bandh for February 14.
The committee has also convened a preparatory meeting here in this connection and decided to observe the bandh Thursday. The committee has resolved to organise the bandh to give impetus to the demand for upgrading the existing Bonai division into a full-fledged district.
It was planned to observe bandh in Gurundia, Koida and Lahunipara blocks apart from the Bonaigarh block of the division.
Efforts are underway to close all shops, markets, schools and colleges and halt movement of buses and other vehicles during the bandh.
Emergency services, however, will be exempted from the purview of the bandh. Although the people have been demanding districthood for Bonai for several years, the State government has taken no steps in this regard. A memorandum was also submitted to the Chief Minister, through the Sub-Collector of Bonai, in this regard.
As the State government remained oblivious of the demand, the District Working Committee has decided to organise a bandh. It has also urged the public of the division to extend their whole-hearted support and make the proposed 12-hour bandh a grand success.
The working committee’s convenor Sachidananda Das, coordinator Tapan Kumar Dandia, secretary Pradip Kumar Tripathy, general secretary Dillip Kumar Tripathy and advisory committee member Purna Chandra Pradhan were present among others at the meeting.
PNN