Chatra (Jharkhand), April 23 (IANS) Tension gripped parts of Jharkhand’s Chatra district after a man was killed after being hit by an uncontrolled coal-laden heavy vehicle on the Tandwa-Piparwar main road, police officials said on Thursday.

Even nearly 30 hours after the incident, villagers continue to stage a sit-in with the body, demanding compensation and improved road safety.

According to police, the accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon near Karo village under the Piparwar police station limits. The deceased, identified as Uresh Lohar alias Suresh Lohra, a resident of Chiraiyatand Tola, died on the spot.

Angry over the incident, locals blocked the road soon after the accident and have been continuing their protest since then. Even after the postmortem, the body has been kept at the protest site as part of the demonstration.

Villagers alleged that there is no effective control over heavy vehicles engaged in coal transportation, leading to frequent accidents in the area.

The protesters are demanding compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the victim’s family, provision of an alternative route, enforcement of a no-entry rule for heavy vehicles on the main road, and a strict curb on overloading.

Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar Ambasht, representative of the Chatra Member of Parliament, Kalicharan Singh, reached the protest site and held talks with the villagers. He assured them that he would speak with the administration to find a solution.

However, till the filing of this report, neither any senior administrative official nor those associated with the transport operations had reached the spot to calm down the protesters.

Due to the prolonged road blockade, long queues of vehicles have built up on both sides of the road. With traffic increasing amid the wedding season, commuters are facing inconvenience and are being forced to take alternative routes.

Villagers have warned that the protest will continue until their demands are met. The situation remains tense as the administration has yet to take any concrete initiative.

–IANS

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