Bhubaneswar: Two women corporators staged a sit-in protest during council meeting of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation on Tuesday
They alleged that development project tenders had been deliberately cancelled. The protest was led by Ward No. 37 corporator Banita Sahu and Ward No. 6 corporator Swetarekha Tripathy.
The two elected representatives accused civic body officials of intentionally cancelling tenders for developmental works in their respective wards. The allegations triggered a tense atmosphere during the council proceedings.
As the meeting progressed, the protest intensified. Swetarekha Tripathy became emotional and broke down in tears while voicing her concerns. The disruption led to a brief impasse in the proceedings.
Corporators demanded answers regarding the alleged cancellation of approved projects.The situation was brought under control after Berhampur Mayor Sanghamitra Dalai personally intervened. The Mayor held discussions with the protesting corporators. Following the Mayor’s assurance, Swetarekha Tripathy withdrew from the sit-in.
Banita Sahu continued her protest. She demanded action against officials responsible for cancelling the tenders, including the Junior Engineer, Sub-Divisional Officer, and Executive Engineer concerned. She ended her protest after the Mayor promised an inquiry into the matter.
The corporators said they will stage another sit-in if their demands are not fulfilled within the next seven days.
