Led by Congress MLA Suresh Kumar Routray, the party workers also staged rail roko at the Bhubaneswar railway station from 7am while Congress leaders stopped traffic on the roads in the rest of the state. Public transportation came to a grinding halt in Bhubaneswar as Congress workers blocked the national highway NH-16 at Satsang Vihar leading to queuing of trucks, lorries and private vehicles.
In Cuttack, the busy Badambadi bus stand wore a deserted look as the buses stayed off the roads. The Capital Region Urban Transport that operates the fleet of Mo Bus services too suspended operations till 2pm.
Educational institutions remained closed across the state due to the bandh. State government employees working in Bhubaneswar, however, reached their respective offices by 9.30am.
“Both the Centre and the state government are imposing unreasonable taxes on fuel, leading to a steep hike in their prices which, in turn, has led to an increase in the prices of other essential commodities. During the United Progressive Alliance regime, the prices of petrol and diesel were below ₹70, but now they have reached almost ₹100, even as the prices of crude oil have come down in the international market. Odisha should reduce tax on petrol and diesel in order to give some relief to the people who are already facing hardship due to the pandemic,” said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik.
Congress leaders claimed that they are allowing emergency vehicles, including ambulances, milk vans, fire fighting vehicles and wedding party vehicles, to ply.