Cong protests against pollution policy shifts

Bhubaneswar: Activists of the Youth Congress scuffled with police while staging a protest outside the official residence of Odisha's Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena here on Saturday over the State government's alleged "policy flip-flops" in enforcement of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate norms.

Hundreds of party activists, led by Odisha Youth Congress president Ranjit Patra, went on a bicycle rally towards the minister's residence. They were intercepted by police, following which a scuffle ensued between the agitators and the security personnel. Some of the activists were picked up by police, a senior official said.

The protesters strongly opposed the State government's policy flip-flops on the enforcement of PUC norms. "The minister first announced the 'no PUC, no fuel' policy from January 1. The people made queues before PUC centres, which are very few to handle thousands of vehicles. Later, keeping in view the public resentment, they shifted the deadline to February 1 and later till April 1. What is happening here? The minister is putting the people in trouble by frequently changing decisions," Patra told reporters.

The Congress demanded the immediate withdrawal of the "No PUC, No Fuel" policy within three days. "If the government does not roll back its anti-people policy, we will dump hundreds of vehicles in front of the Chief Minister's and other ministers' residences in Bhubaneswar," Patra said, adding that the party activists will ensure that the Odisha ministers face protests across the State during their visits.