Anti-IIT protestors stage an agitation at Shel-Melauli on Tuesday.
VALPOI
A day after rejecting the conditions and assurances of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the anti-IIT protestors resumed their agitation at Shel-Melauli in Sattari and blocked any land survey work at the site on Tuesday.
Unable to conduct land survey work, a team of officials later lodged a complaint at the Valpoi police station.
The agitators assembled near the project site at about 9.30 am and claimed that they would not withdraw their agitation till the IIT project was cancelled and threatened not to allow any land survey work for the proposed project. Leaders of the anti-IIT agitation claimed that their protest was no longer limited to Guleli Panchayat but had spread to entire Sattari taluka and warned the government not to file charges against the protesters.
The protestors remained at the site for about six hours, preventing any land survey work and dispersed from the site at about 3.30 pm.
A police force was present at the site as a precautionary measure to prevent any law and order problem.
Sattari Deputy Collector Rajesh Ajagaonkar warned the protestors that they could face action if they continue to disrupt government work, but the protestors snubbed his threats and said authorities were welcome to take action against them, but they would not permit land survey work.
Unable to conduct land survey work till 3 pm, the officials involved in the land survey left the site and later lodged a complaint at the Valpoi police station.
Ajagaonkar tried to persuade the protesters but his efforts were in vain. Speaking to reporters after their protest, leaders of the anti-IIT agitation said they had warned that the government would have to pay a heavy price if a case was registered against the protesters at the Valpoi police station.
“If necessary, an agitation will be held at the police station and thousands of people will join the agitation. We will resist attempts to resume land survey work on Wednesday and our agitation will continue till the project is moved out from the area,” said Unnati Melekar.
“People in the area will not tolerate this and if need be, we are prepared to die but the agitation will continue till the project is scrapped at Shel-Melauli,” warned Melekar.
Dashrath Mandrekar stated that the Congress party has decided to fully support the movement against the proposed IIT at Shel-Melauli.
