BALANGIR: Normal life was affected in Balangir’s Saintala on Sunday due to the nine-hour bandh called by Congress over various demands including the NAC tag for the town. While business establishments remained closed, vehicular movement came to a grinding halt at various places due to the shutdown called by the Titlagarh unit of Congress.
The demands also included the completion of the partially-constructed bridge over Lantha river, filling up of vacant doctor posts in Saintala hospital, water supply to the block square, construction of a postmortem house, establishment of an excise office and maintenance of roads coming under Rural Development department.
Local Congress leader Subrat Behera said people of at least five panchayats are facing a lot of difficulties due to the absence of a bridge over Lantha River. Construction work on a bridge to connect Saintala with Badipada started five years back. However, it is yet to be completed. Besides, several doctor posts are lying vacant in Saintala Hospital due to which patients are being deprived of proper treatment, he alleged.