Bhubaneswar: A six-hour ‘Chaka Jam’ observed by the Odisha unit of the Congress party from 6 am to 12 noon against steadily rising fuel prices paralysed vehicular movement in the Twin City of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack Monday.
Holding banners and party flags, Congressmen picketed several points in the two cities. Cars, buses and trucks remained stranded at various junctions. In Bhubaneswar, Congress activists picketed then National Highway at Vani Vihar and Rasulgarh by burning tyres on the road.
In Cuttack, Congress activists were seen picketing the streets in Madhupatna, Press Chhak, Jagatpur, Sikharpur and Badambadi areas and requesting people not to ply their vehicles as a mark of protest.
The Congress activists urged the state government to slash the 26 per cent VAT to bring down the prices of the fuel. Stating that the marginal reduction in fuel prices by the Centre was a farce, they said the Modi government deliberately hiked the fuel price after the assembly elections in Karnataka.
Several Congress members were detained by cops at AG Chhak here.
On the other hand, a student of Khapuria ITI was injured as he was attacked allegedly by Congress workers near the Madhupatna Chhak in Cuttack. The youth lodged a police complaint.
The Commissionerate police said it made elaborate security arrangements with deployment of 25 platoons of armed police force in the twin city.
PNN
