Train movement on the busy Howrah-Mumbai line was stalled for about two hours near Rourkela station today as slum dwellers from nearby areas staged an agitation on the tracks.
The protesters demanded a piece of land from the railways for constructing a four-lane road and installing a water pipe line.
The blockade that started around 11am was lifted at 2pm after the railway officials placated the agitators and promised to look into their demands.
The slum dwellers had also gheraoed the railway assistant engineer's office yesterday to press for their demands.
"The railway authorities are not allowing the construction of road between BSNL Main Office and Basanti Colony here and work on a water pipeline," one of the agitators said on the condition of anonymity.
The divisional engineer of South Eastern Railway at Chakradhrapur has written a letter to the executive engineer of PWD here, mentioning that railway properties would be damaged if the road and pipeline were allowed on the land, he said.
Rourkerla area manager (railways), Narendra Kumar, assured the agitators that he would take up the matter with the authorities.
"We will inform the matter to our higher authorities and some solution might come out soon," Kumar said.
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