Bhuban/Bolangir: A 12-hour bandh is being observed Tuesday in Bolangir district’s Kantabanji area and Dhenkanal district’s Bhuban area.
Kantabanji Zilla Sangharsha Samiti had given dawn to dusk bandh call demanding district status for Kantabanji.
A source informed that the bandh observance affected normal life in Kantabanji area as members of the outfit resorted to picketing at various places.
Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed in view of the bandh call.
The protesters staged road blockade that hindered vehicular movement. However, emergency services were excluded from the ambit of the bandh.
Previously, Kantabanji Zilla Sangharsha Samiti had observed bandh November 24, 2022, and July 18, 2023, over the district status demand.
Meanwhile, the district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had given a bandh call in Bhuban demanding solutions to issues such as drinking water scarcity, shortage of doctors and teachers, farmers’ problems and bad road conditions.
The saffron party workers picketed several places in Bhuban. Educational institutions, markets and business establishments downed their shutters due to the agitation, the source added.
.PNN