Normal life was hit in western Orissa on Thursday because of disruption of train and bus services and closure of shops during a bandh demanding scrapping of the Sindol hydro-power project and setting up of a permanent High Court bench in the region.
Shops, business establishments, schools, colleges, banks and offices remained closed in most parts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Sonepur districts during the 12-hour shut-down called by Western Orissa Lawyers Association and others, police said.
A number of trains, including Sambalpur-Howrah Ispat Express, Sambalpur-Bhubaneswar Inter-city and Sambalpur- Rorkela DMU, were running behind schedule as agitators blocked railway tracks at Sambalpur, they said.