Normal life was badly affected here due to the Hartal called by the (BJD on Friday.
local BJD activists riding motorcycles moved across the town allegedly forcing shops, banks, post offices, ATMs and other establishments to close their activities in support of the hartal call depriving citizens of their rights to get different Government and private facilities.
Almost all Government offices remained closed as the strike was called by the ruling party. Transport facilities were crippled. A local youth leader, Ram Narayan Mohanty, termed it as nothing less than Goondaraj by the ruling party.
A student leader, Sailendra Patnaik, alleged that the ruling party has proved its own inefficacy by calling a Hartal, which was virtually enforced as a Bandh.