SAMBALPUR: Normal life was hit in western Orissa on Thursday following disruption in train and bus services during a bandh, demanding scrapping of the proposed Sindol hydro power project and setting up of a permanent High Court bench in the region. The bandh call given by the Central Action Committee (CAC) of Western Orissa Bar Association evoked spontaneous response in the districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Sonepur, Boudh besides Sundargarh except Rourkela city. Commercial and business establishments, financial and educational institutions and government offices were closed while buses and private vehicles stayed off the road. However, in view of the ongoing Supplementary HSC examination, students were given safe and free passage and emergency services exempted from the bandh. In Sambalpur, lawyers under the banner of Sambalpur District Bar Association picketed at Sindurpank, Dhanupali and Ainthapalli paralysing heavy and commercial vehicles’ movement on NHs 53 and 55 besides State Highway 10. The lawyers also forced closure of corporate office of the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited and Sambalpur railway division office. The bandh disrupted trains services on the busy Kolkata-Chennai route. The departure of Sambalpur-Puri Intercity Express and the Sambalpur-Rayagada Express was delayed by three hours. The Sambalpur-Rourkela DMU was delayed by two hours. The Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express was detained at Sambalpur city station for one hour while Titilagarh-Howrah Ispat Express was detained at Bargarh Road station for an hour. Roads also wore a deserted look in most parts of the region with thin vehicular traffic as buses and private vehicles were off the roads.In Jharsuguda district, the lawyers picketed in front of the MCL project office in Brajrajnagar bringing the transportation of coal to a halt. National Highway 49 and State Highway 10 were blocked paralysing movement of vehicles. The NH-6 passing through Bargarh was closed for the day. Offices and courts remained closed in Sundargarh town while the business community responded to the bandh in Bonai, Rajgangpur and Birmitrapur towns. The members of the Rourkela Bar Association resorted to ceasework agitation in support of the bandh call. However, life in the Steel City and civil township of Rourkela was normal with shops, vehicular traffic and offices functioning as usual.
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