Saturday, January 14 2006 10:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kalinga nagar (Orissa): The indefinite Rasta roko launched by the tribals disrupting traffic on the Daitari-Paradip expressway since the January 2 police firing here continued for the 12th day yesterday (Jan 13,2006)in support of their seven-point charter of demands.

The tribals, agitating under the banner of Bisthapan Virodhi Jana Manch, said they were not satisfied with the state government's decision to institute a judicial inquiry into the incident in which 12 tribals were killed.

Manch president Chakradhar Haiburu alleged that inquiry, though supported by both the ruling and opposition parties, was intended to divide the agitators and confuse them.

The manch would not extend any assistance to the commission, he said in a statement here alleging that the ministers were only interested to protect the interest of industrialists.

Haiburu demanded that government should initiate actionagainst the Finance minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Prafulla Chandra Ghadei under whose assembly constituency Kalinga nagar fell.

The Government had announced payment of ex-gratia of Rs. Five lakh to the next of kin of the victims and Rs. 50,000 for the injured persons.

The Union Home minister Shivraj Patil, who accompanied United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chai. Gandhi to Kalinga nagar on January 11, announced that the Centre would also pay the victims' familiesRs. Five lakh each. Besides the Congress also promised to paythe next of kin of the victims Rs. One lakh each and Rs. 20,000 to each of the injured persons.

The agitators had lifted the blockade temporarily on the day Gandhi visited them. But they later decided to continue with the road block.