Bhubaneswar: The 24-hour Bharat bandh called by 10 central trade unions and some sectoral unions protesting Centre’s anti-labour, anti-people policies, unemployment and rising prices passed off peacefully in state Wednesday.
Official sources here said no reports of violence was received from anywhere till Wednesday evening except minor incidents. The bandh hit both train and bus services across the state putting thousands of commuters into much hardship.
In the State Capital, police arrested several Congress leaders including Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik and CITU president Janardan Pati while they were marching in a procession as part of the bandh from the lower PMG to Lok Seva Bhawan.
Government offices were opened Wednesday. Acting on the state government’s directive, employees of Lok Seva Bhawan, Kharvela Bhawan and Rajiv Bhawan reached offices by 9.30 am.
Ministers and senior bureaucrats arrived at their offices before 9.30 am. Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Malik, Commerce & Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera and Water Resources Minister Raghunandan Das entered Lok Seva Bhawan on two-wheelers while MoS for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra reached office in a police van.
Usually, ministers attend office by official cars. But several secretaries were seen reaching the Secretariat in their official cars and entered through its rear gates.
The police have also rounded up 500 persons into preventive custody in the Capital for trying to obstruct movement of traffic and picketing before government offices and PSUs. Interestingly, the protesters this time shunned burning of tyres to block the roads in Bhubaneswar. The bandh organizers also let go commuters such as patients and examinees.
“We had made a rule that tyres won’t be burnt. Earlier, there used to be smoke due to tyre-burning in front of offices and on roads causing pollution. When people are supporting the bandh voluntarily why should we burn tyres,” said CPI (ML) state secretary Judisthira Mahapatra.
A report from Balasore said the work at a court suffered as the judges and magistrates went back home on the request of the agitators. The activists locked the Collector’s office in Bhadrak during the bandh.
Thousands of passengers suffered as around 2,000 private buses stayed off the road and the movement of trains were stopped by the agitators at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Balasore Bhadrak, Jajpur-Keonjhargarh road, Talcher, Brahmapur and Kendrapara and Raja Sunakhala stations.
Thousands of trucks were stranded along the national and state highways and except a few two-wheelers no other vehicle was seen on NH 16 at Rasulgarh, Vanivihar, Jaydev Vihar in Bhubaneswar, on NH 143, 215 at Bonai in Sundargarh, on NH 26 in Koraput and on NH 49 at Jashipur in Mayurbhanja district.
Shops, business establishments were closed. Banks and insurance services were affected as members of various employees unions sat on dharna in front of the offices.
