Life was thrown out of gear across Sundargarh district due to the dawn-to-dusk bandh called by Koshal Kranti Dal (KKD) demanding formation of a separate Kosal State.
In Rourkela city and its surrounding areas of Vedvyas and Kalunga, the shutdown evoked mixed response with most of commercial establishments downing their shutters. Educational institutions remained closed and movement of commercial vehicles was disrupted.
Sundargarh district headquarters town also observed bandh as KKD activists burnt tyres at road inter-sections and forced closure of shops, schools and colleges. Similar was the scene at Bonai, Rajgangpur and Birmitrapur towns.
KKD working president BN Mishra said the shutdown in Sundargarh and rest of Western Odisha districts was total. Mishra said to remove the unending regional bias, discrimination and inequality faced by people of Western Odisha, both State and Centre should think of carving out Koshal State.
The KKD renewed the separate State demand in the backdrop of the UPA-II moving ahead with the Telengana issue.