Bhadrak: Life came to a standstill in Bhadrak district today following a 6-hour bandh call given by BJP, protesting Odisha Government’s inordinate delay in allocating land for the Centre-proposed spinning mill in the district.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced for the spinning mill at a project cost of Rs 1200 crore in June last year.
Shops and other business establishment downed their shutters during the bandh observation which started at around 6 am in the morning. Schools and colleges also remained closed keeping in the view the protests by bandh supporters.
Thousands of passengers remained stranded on both sides of the NH-16 as strikers blocked it by burning tyres in the morning.
The impact of bandh was felt strongly in at least seven blocks of the district where BJP workers were seen appealing people to join it overwhelmingly.
BJP activists also resorted to ‘rail roko’ at Bhadrak Railway Station and intercepted Bhadrak-Palasa Passenger train for hours. A separate group of protesters also stopped Jajpur-Kharagpur Passenger train at Manjuri Station by sitting on the railway tracks.
BJP is alleging that the BJD government at the state is intentionally making delay in land allocation for the spinning mill as a part of its step-motherly attitude towards central projects and claimed that the voters seek answer on that.
Ms Kalinga