The nation-wide bandh called on Monday by Congress and opposition parties against fuel price rise was partial in Puri.
While tourists and devotees already staying in city’s
hotels visited the Jaganath Temple and the sea beach like a normal day, flows of outside visitors into the city were very thin due to road blockades on Puri-Bhubaneswar, Puri-Satpada and Puri-Konark National Highways.
Few taxis were plying though movement of bikes remained as usual. Some morning trains departed Puri station on time, but post 10 am, trains could not move as bandh supporters sat on the track of Puri railway station.
Many shops and business establishments on both sides of Badadanda remained shut.
District Judge of Puri Ambuja Mohan Das entered the court room unopposed. Others judges also joined, but no transaction was made in the courts due to absence of clients. The Puri Bar Association office remained opened till 5 pm, but the lawyers did not
attend works due to strike by High Court lawyers on the lawyer-police strife in Cuttack. Attendance of staff in Puri collectorate was very thin.
Left supporters blocked the main road to Nuapada and block office of Krunsnaprasad with the help fishnets. Similarly, block and tahsil offices in Brahamgiri remained closed.
BJP leader Krusna Chandra Jegadev said the bandh was a total failure in Puri district. Taking strong exception to Congress and Left parties, Jagadev charged that they only called bandh to hide own corruption and mal governance while in power already. He requested CM Naveen Patnaik to set an example like Rajasthan CM Basundhara Raje, by cutting VAT to ease oil prices.