BHUBANESWAR: The 12-hour Odisha bandh called by political parties under INDIA bloc crippled normal life and disrupted transport services across the state on Thursday.
In the capital, the protestors held demonstrations near Station Square, burnt tyres and stopped the citizens, including women, who were traveling on their own vehicles.
Veteran Congress leader Suresh Routray was present during the demonstration in Station Square and was engaged in picketing along with other protestors. Interestingly, the police personnel deployed on the spot did not step in even after the citizens faced inconvenience.
The demonstrators also blocked NH-16 near Satsang Vihar and Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan Road.
Transport services were hit and passengers arriving at railway station and airport were left stranded. Commercial establishments remained closed too in the city.
As buses and auto-rickshaws remained off roads, patients faced difficulties to reach various hospitals in the capital.
The strike disrupted normal life in other parts of the state including Cuttack, Bhadrak and Sambalpur.
The bandh has been called by the opposition parties under the INDIA bloc to demand repealing the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 (MMDR Amendment Act), dismissal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityanand Gond and to provide immediate relief for flood victims.