Bharat Bandh: Life crippled in Odisha

Thursday's opposition-led nationwide shutdown against the recent reforms rolled out by the UPA-led Central government crippled life in many parts of Odisha as passengers and commercials vehicles went off the roads, police said.

Passengers faced difficulties, with the train services being disrupted by protesters who squatted on rail tracks in different places. Many trains remained stranded at railway stations as a result. Also, shops downed shutters in many places, including Cuttack, the main retail business hub of the state. Government and private offices, schools, colleges, banks, and other financial institutions also remained shut. Protesters also carried out rallies, marches and demonstrations at different places.

In state capital Bhubaneswar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists carried out a procession shouting anti-government slogans. The shutdown, however, lesser impacted the state's western parts lke Sambalpur and Bolangir towns, where the annual harvest festival of Nuakhai is underway.

The opposition parties called for nationwide shutdown to protest the centre's decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail sector, sharp increase in diesel prices and imposing restriction on the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders. In Odisha, nine non-Congress political parties, including the Left parties and the BJP, had given the shutdown call separately.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal, however, stayed away from the strike, saying that it will cause inconvenience to the people celebrating the harvest festival.