Bhubaneswar: Normal life was hit at many places in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Thursday activists of a local outfit, Bhanja Sena, resorted to a road blockade to protest against the alarming rise in poaching of wild animals in Similipal National Park.
The agitators were demanding measures to protect the Similipal National Park and blocked roads and National Highways Nos. 49 and 18 at different places, disrupting vehicular movement.
According to sources, the protestors staged a road blockade on the Udala-Baripada main road in the Kaptipada sub-division on Thursday morning, which left numerous vehicles stranded at several places.
The protestors alleged that the Forest department had failed to take effective measures to end the poaching of wild animals in the sanctuary as large numbers of wild animals are being poached regularly. Smuggling of tusks and tiger hide was common in the area, while poachers had a field day.
They demanded that the Forest department initiate immediate measures to check poaching of wild animals and protect the ecology of Similipal forests. In addition, they demanded regular patrolling to curb poaching and other criminal activities inside the protected forest.
