Sundargarh district has seen five bandh calls within last 50 days. The bandh calls during the period have hit the public hard as normal life was thrown out of gear. Ironically, the administration has chosen to act a mute spectator.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had called a 12- hour dawn- to- dusk Rourkela bandh on July 16 over the return car festival of lord Jagannath. Similarly, On August 11, the district Congress called for a 12- hour bandh in protest against the barrage proposed to be constructed by the Chhattisgarh Government on the Ib river and demanding distribution of ration cards to eligible beneficiaries. Just after four days of the bandh, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee called for an Odisha bandh on August 16 demanding the Centre’s intervention for halting construction of barrages and dams over the Mahanadi in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Kosal State Co-Ordination Committee called for a 12-hour bandh in western Odisha on August 26 demanding a separate State status for Kosal region. The Central trade unions called for 24-hour nationwide strike on September 2 in protest against the Government’s failure to fulfil their 12- point charter of demands. Normal life was disrupted on the day of the strike in these five days in entire Sundargarh district.
These five bandh calls not only stopped functioning of industries, offices, financial institutions, shops, business establishments and petrol pumps but also disturbed the students of schools and colleges. Vehicular traffic movement was disrupted on account of the bandh. The protesters who had called the strike disrupted traffic by blocking the roads with burning tyres. Train services were also disrupted. Despite the fact that police personnel were deployed at some places, activists picketed and forced industries, shops and other establishments to down shutters on the day of the bandh.
According to sources, on August 11, when the district Congress had held a strike, some workers forcibly entered into a factory premises and threatened the workers to leave factory and announced that the factory should be closed immediately since they had given bandh call that day. Out of fear, the plant and other nearby plants closed their units. Almost all the educational institutions declared holiday before a day of strike and some educational institutions sent messages on mobiles regarding the closure of educational institutions on account of bandh. Even some parents and teachers remained in uncertainty whether the educational institutions will open or not.
Frequent bandhs have put many, including the poor labour class, in great troubles as they did not get their daily wage.
“We do not want to close school on these days but we had no option since autos and buses did not run on that day,” said Delhi Public School principal S Rath, adding, “ If the administration can ensure that there will be no problem in running of autos, buses and schools on the day of strike, we will definitely open the school.”
Sundargarh Collector BS Punia admitted that it is the common people who have to suffer due to the regular strikes. “The strike or bandh call in regular intervals have been a cause of concern,” he said.