Bhubaneswar: The eight-hour Odisha bandh call given by Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) over the alleged plight of farmers due to mismanagement in paddy procurement in the state Wednesday evoked a mixed response, an official said.
Railway services were not affected due to the bandh, while road transport was partially disrupted as protesters blocked roads in various districts. Protestors were seen burning motor tyres on the road at several places. Many passengers were stranded at bus terminals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in several places in the state due to the bandh.
The strike, which began at 6 am and continued till 2 pm, is supported by the Opposition Congress and CPI(M), while Biju Janata Dal (BJD) complemented the NNKS for observing the shutdown to safeguard the interests of farmers.
“The banh was observed peacefully across the state. The protestors requested the people to cooperate. The essential services are kept out of the purview of bandh,” NNKS convenor Akshay Kumar said.
Apart from paddy procurement mismanagement, the bandh is also observed against the “forced” installation of smart meters by the power distribution company and high penalties levied on vehicle owners under pollution certificate enforcement, Kumar said.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra, on the other hand, described bandh as a “flop show” and claimed that farmers did not participate in the strike.
Patra said, “We had been expecting that the bandh could make some impact as it got support of the Congress and Left parties. But, it failed as farmers stood by the government.”
Rejecting the opposition parties’ allegation of “gross mismanagement” in paddy procurement, he asserted that farmers in Odisha are happy as they get Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy at state-run mandis as promised by the BJP during elections.
The minister claimed that paddy procurement was going on smoothly in all the 30 districts of Odisha and the state government has till Tuesday has procured 37,91,225 metric tons of the crop.
“More than Rs 8,000 crore has already been credited to the bank accounts of farmers,” he said, adding that the paddy procurement is nearing completion in several districts, including Bargarh, Sambalpur and Sonepur.
The protestors asked the government to provide Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy at official mandis to farmers, and stop the intervention of middlemen and millers in the process.
In Bhubaneswar, protesters blocked the road at Uttara Chhak by burning tyres, leading to traffic disruptions. A report from Cuttack said that private buses remained off the roads.
Additional police forces were deployed at strategic places to maintain law and order during the bandh, said Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena.
In the picketing, Congress supporters joined the NNKS protesters at several places, including Binika in Subarnapur district. They blocked the Binika-Barpali National Highway near College Chhak, affecting traffic movement.
Another report said that the protesters also put up road blockades in Bolangir district, while vehicles were off the roads in Kandhamal district.
Life was almost normal in Koraput district, a revenue department official said.
In the wake of the bandh, the state government has directed all district collectors to take precautionary measures to maintain law and order.
PTI
