Normal life was thrown out of gear in the town on Wednesday, as the Talcher Surakshya Samiti observed a 12-hour bandh demanding fulfilment of a four-point charter of demands.
Samiti members staged a Rail Roko agitation from early morning as a result of which train services were hit.
Besides, vehicular communications came to a standstill as the activists blocked roads and picketed at Bypass Chhak and several places of the town.
Schools, markets, Government offices and business establishments also remained closed. The bandh also affected coal mining operations in the town.
The demand of the Samiti includes filling up of the areas in the town which have subsided due to mining, appointment of adequate number of doctors at Talcher Government Hospital and provision of safe drinking water for the residents of the town, sources said.
They also demanded that the administration should take necessary steps to reduce water pollution in river Brahmani and air pollution level in the area.
Several other associations have also extended their support towards the bandh, reports added.
Meanwhile, the district administration deployed adequate police forces to avoid any untoward incident.