Demanding establishment of the proposed Government medical college at Kesinga in Kalahandi district, a local youth association on Thursday observed a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh in the town.
While shops and other business establishments and educational institutions remained closed, vehicular movement was affected as members of the association staged road blockades at several places in the town by burning tyres.
Bus service from Bhawanipatna to Balangir, Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar was stopped due to the bandh. Water supply from river Tel to the Vedanta Alumina Refinery at lanjigarh was cut off, sources said.
However, ambulance service and drinking water supply were excluded from the ambit of the bandh.
Police forces were deployed in the town to avoid any untoward situation during the shutdown.