Thousands of Congress activists courted arrest while staging a hartal hitting normal life across the State on Tuesday. They demanded resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the mining loot involving about Rs 60,000 crore.
In Brahmapur, the hartal was led by DCC president Bhagaban Gantayat. Besides demanding Chief Minister Patnaik’s resignation over the mining loot, they demanded slash in power tariff. The activists detained a DMU train at the station in the morning. Then took out a motorcycle rally from the Congress Bhawan and covered important places like Khallikote College, Tata Benz Square, Kamapalli, Goilundi, Aska Road, Big Bazar, Girija Square and Arnnapurna Market.
However, reports said most of the commercial establishments and educational institutions were open and vehicular traffic was virtually normal, though a few shops in Bijipur, Gosaninuagaon and Bhapur Bazar area were shut.
Former Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu, PCC secretary Bikram Panda, City Congress president Sanjit Kumar Panigrahi and spokesperson Pitabas Panda among others took part in the hartal. A BMC council meeting had to be postponed to January 9 owing to the haratal.
Similarly, in Baleswar, buses, lorries and passenger taxis remained off the roads due to the hartal, creating problems for daily commuters and patients to travel to their destinations. However, the train services were disrupted for half-an-hour only.
The district headquarters town wore a deserted look with the educational institutions, Government offices, courts and banks remaining closed for the day. However, the ITR at Chandipur managed to conduct a missile test on the day.
The hartal in Balangir town evoked good response from the public. Similarly, Titilagarh witnessed a peaceful bandh. Former PCC president Sarat Pattanaik and party MlA Surendra Singh Bhoi led a motor cycle rally.
The bandh hit normal life at Parlakhemundi and rest areas in Gajapati district. Private and State-run buses and other vehicles were off the roads. The commuters faced difficulties in many parts as taxis and auto-rickshaws remained off the roads. Shops, schools, colleges, banks, financial institutions and business establishments were affected.
Commuters at Rourkela were the worst hit as day service buses terminated service. The Congress workers under the leadership of DCC president BN Patnaik, former DCC president Nihar Ray and former MlA Pravat Mohapatra picketed at the Rourkela railway station disrupting the train service for a time. Schools, banks, petrol pumps and many business houses too remained closed. However, the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) resumed operation as usual. In Rajgangpur, hundreds of trucks and buses remained stranded on roads as a result of which transporting of iron ore and coal was affected.
Sambalpur saw the hartal pass off peacefully. Schools and colleges remained closed for the whole day. Shopkeepers also kept their shutters down. The party workers led by DCC president Rajkishore Das picketed at important places of the town. Bus service was too hit.
Nabarangpur DCC president Narayan Patro, MP Pradeep Majhi, PCC state vice president Sadan Nayak and hundreds of others blocked the National Highway-26. The educational institutions, banks, post offices, Government offices and business establishments remained closed. Buses, trucks and auto-rickshaw remained off the roads as well.
The Cuttack- Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack- Paradeep State highways were all but empty of vehicles. Educational institutions had maintained an undeclared holiday, while low attendance was noticed in the Government offices in Jagatsinghpur.
In the coal city of Talcher the Congress virtually forced a shutdown. The markets, offices, educational institutions, and most importantly, mines remained closed. Road traffic and train services were off. The transportation of coal by rail and road too was affected. The wagon movement of NTPC and the supply of coal through conveyor belt to Nalco were terminated.