Bhubaneswar, September 23: Police on Tuesday used water cannons on protesting BJD workers who were marching to gherao the State Assembly over the alleged curtailment of powers of elected representatives under the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in the State and promoting officials.

The BJD showed tough resistance even as the police put up several layers of barricading to prevent the protesters from marching forward. Several BJD leaders along with Sarpanches, Ward Members, Committee Members, Zilla Parishad members, Block Chairpersons, and Zilla Parishad Chairpersons participated in the agitation demanding immediate rollback of the State Cabinet’s decision.

The protest started from the Master Canteen Square and approached the Gandhi Marg. Here, protestors tried to climb over the police barricading. As soon as the BJD workers broke through the first layer of barricading, the police resorted to the use of water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Notably, the BJD, the main opposition force in the State has been strongly opposing the State Government’s decision to increase the powers of the Block Development Officers (BDOs) to pass bills up to Rs 10 lakh without counter signature by the panchayat samiti chairpersons.