BHUBANESWAR: Public transport was thrown out of gear in the Twin City on Monday as the state Congress observed a six-hour 'chaka bandh' from 6 am to 12 pm against the unprecedented fuel price hike. Passengers coming out from the railway station in the Capital were seen negotiating with hardly a few auto-rickshaw drivers, who were present there.
Several people could also be seen in Rasulgarh requesting to give them lifts as very few auto-rickshaws were available in the area. Similarly, the City buses also remained off the roads, leaving the denizens with no option for communication.
Congress activists blocked the road near Vani Vihar at about 9 am and Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Kumar Sahoo had to intervene for clearing the traffic. The protestors also demonstrated near Rasulgarh, Station Square, Lower PMG and AG Square. Several demonstrators, including party leader Ranjib Biswal, were detained during the protests.
"Around 51 activists were detained from AG Square and Lower PMG. We had deployed 25 platoons of police force to avoid any untoward incident, and so far we have not received complaint of any violence in the City," Bhubaneswar DCP told The Express.
Though the denizens were commuting on their motorcycles, closure of several petrol pumps created further hurdles for them. The chaka bandh also affected the businesses, as most of the stores remained closed. However, small businesses continued to operate as per the regular routine.
The Congress workers also stopped buses and trucks on both sides of the highway which crippled normal life and brought the transport system to a grinding halt. A government ITI college student lodged a complaint with police in Cuttack alleging that the protestors manhandled him for not keeping his vehicle off the road during the chaka bandh.
Interestingly, the Congress activists were seen in huge numbers while taking out a 'bike' rally in the Capital to protest against the unprecedented fuel price hike.
Congress activists were also seen protesting the LPG price hike by holding cylinders in the capital city.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik stated that the chaka bandh was aimed at making people aware about the unusual hike in the fuel price across the country.