IANS reported that hundreds of youths led by a Congress legislator halted shipment of bauxite Saturday to aluminium major Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, demanding jobs for local residents.

BALCO gets bauxite from Mainpat in Surguja.

Hundreds of protesters led by Mr Amarjeet Bhagat, the legislator from Sitapur that includes Mainpat mining area, squatted on roads near the bauxite mining area and stopped the mineral's transportation to BALCO.

The protesters were raising slogans against BALCO for exploiting natural resources of Surguja district without offering employment to local people and developing infrastructure.

They threatened to halt bauxite mining to BALCO for an indefinite period if the company management did not open an aluminium plant in Surguja district to offer employment to local youths of poverty hit families.

Vedanta Resources controlled BALCO in which the Indian government holds 49% stake, is based in Korba town.

(Sourced from IANS)