Nabarangpur: Alleging large-scale irregularities in paddy procurement, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Tuesday observed a 12-hour bandh across seven blocks of Nabarangpur district.
The party alleged chaos since the start of paddy procurement at mandis. Farmers complained of delays in token issuance, exploitation in the name of katni-chhatni (deductions and rejections), and denial of entry to mandis even for minor delays.
They also alleged lack of basic facilities at procurement centres. The dawn-to-dusk bandh was led by Nabarangpur district BJD president and Dabugaon MLA Manohar Randhari, along with former MP Pradeep Majhi.
A memorandum addressed to the Governor was submitted through the District Collector.