Odisha bandh partially hits normal life

Bhubaneswar: The eight-hour Odisha bandh call given by Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) on Wednesday over the alleged plight of farmers due to mismanagement in paddy procurement had a partial impact on normal life, while State’s BJP government dubbed it as a “flop show”.

The bandh held from 6 am to 2 pm witnessed normal operation of train services while the road transport was partially disrupted as protesters blocked roads in various districts. The bandh enforcers were seen burning motor tyres on the roads at several places. Many passengers were stranded at bus terminals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Shops, business establishments and educational establishments remained closed at several places in the State due to the bandh, but offices functioned amid tight security across Odisha. The strike was 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 bandh was observed peacefully across the State. The protesters requested the people to cooperate. The essential services were kept out of the purview of bandh,” NNKS convener Akshay Kumar said, adding that members of Congress, CPI(M) and other Left parties also joined picketing.

Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, on the other hand, described the 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, Patra 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 till Tuesday has procured 37,91,225 metric tonnes 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.

Apart from the alleged paddy procurement mismanagement, the bandh was 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.

The protesters alleged that the farmers do not get Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy at official mandis and demanded that the government 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 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 had directed all district collectors to take precautionary measures to maintain law and order.