Odisha bandh disrupts transport and business in several areas

INDIA bloc parties held a 12-hour statewide bandh in Odisha on October 8, disrupting transport and commercial activity in several reported locations. The Biju Janata Dal did not join the shutdown, saying it would neither support nor oppose the strike. Reports described demonstrations and road blockages in Bhubaneswar, as well as disruption in Cuttack, Bhadrak and Sambalpur. Commercial establishments were reported closed in parts of the state, while buses and auto-rickshaws were off the roads in some locations. In Bhubaneswar, passengers arriving at transport hubs were reported stranded, and patients faced difficulty reaching hospitals. The accounts did not establish the extent of disruption across every district. In Sambalpur, public transport, educational institutions and businesses were reported affected. A separate account said Congress demonstrators halted the Sambalpur-Puri train during the protest. The reported effects varied by locality, and the supplied accounts do not provide a statewide count of affected services or passengers.