Daringbadi: Normal life was affected in the town as vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt and all government and non-government offices and shops remained closed as part of a district-wide anti-liquor stir Saturday.
The town wore a deserted look as shops and other business establishments kept their shutters down throughout the day.
Commuters had a tough time as plying of vehicles from the block headquarters to Phulbani, Sorada and Berhampur stopped. Even the emergency service got hampered due to the stir.
Members of the women and youth organisations intensified their stir in the town and even stopped motorcyclists. People extended support to the bandh.
Agitators took out a procession from Charichhak to the block office and submitted a memorandum to Block Development Officer (BDO) Baranendu Mohanty addressed to the Chief Minister.
They later staged a sit-in at Charichhak square. Women of Kirikuti gram panchayat blocked the National Highway No-59 to protest against rampant liquor trade in the nooks and corners of the district.
The bandh call also affected normal lives in Brahmanigaon, gadapur, Katingia, Kumbharigaon, Jhinjiriguda, Simanbadi, Badabanga, Kirikuti and Budaguda.
Among others, Kailas Chandra Dandapat, Akshay Chandra Nayak, Bilasini Nayak, Suresh Pradhan, Pitabas Mala Bisoyi, Jacob Pradhan, Bidyadhar Mallick, Hemalata Pradhan, Kanchan Bindhani, Punajini Pradhan, Sarasila Pradhan, Gitanjali Nayak and Maheswar Pradhan led the protest.
Police teams led by Kandhamal superintendent of police Pinak Mishra, Baliguda sub-divisional police officer Surendranath Murmu, Daringbadi police station officer-in-charge Baba Shankar Saraf, assistant sub-inspector Ladu Kishore Tripathy, R Bhimarao Reddy and Brahmanigaon inspector-in-charge Biral Chandra Sahis were deployed at various places to maintain peace. PNN
