Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Oct 13 (PTI) Opposition Ajsu Party supporters on Thursday stopped construction work for a flyover in Jharkhand's Ramgarh town demanding reinstallation of a statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, which was removed from there a year ago because of the project.

Hundreds of Ajsu Party activists led by district president Dilip Dangi reached the flyover construction site on National Highway 33 near Patel Chowk and forcefully stopped the work.

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Security personnel were deployed at the spot following the incident, Ramgarh Sub-divisional Officer Md Javed Hussain said.

"We would take necessary steps to restart construction work," he said.

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The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) removed the statue of the country's first home minister here a year ago for the construction of the four-lane flyover. The NHAI was supposed to reinstall the statue after the completion of the project which was delayed.

NHAI Project Director Vijay Kumar, "We are in touch with the local administration to restart construction work. The flyover is being made with an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore."

Manoj Kumar Mahto, senior Ajsu Party leader and vice chairman of Ramgarh Municipal Council, said they stopped the construction work as they want reinstallation of Sardar Patel's statue on Patel Chowk.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were imposed close to the area on Tuesday after a dispute between the Ajsu Party and the Congress over the issue led to tension in the area.

The Ajsu Party conducted Bhoomi Puja for the statue's reinstallation on “government land” near the spot where it was earlier erected on Sunday. The Congress, however, objected to it, claiming that the land belonged to a person who did not give permission for holding such a programme.

An FIR was registered against Ajsu Party MP Chandra Prakash Chaudhary on Tuesday on the charge of assaulting a man who claimed that the plot belonged to him.

While the Congress is a constituent of the ruling coalition of Jharkhand, Ajsu Party was part of the previous BJP-led government in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)