Titlagarh: Normal life came to a standstill in Titlagarh sub-division in Bolangir district Tuesday following a dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by Titlagarh District Kriyanusthan Committee demanding district status for the area.
Schools, colleges, shops and other business establishments remained closed in view of the bandh which started at 6 am and witnessed picketing by strikers at several places in Titlagarh town.
The agitators burnt tyres on National Highways causing traffic woes. Vehicular movement on the roads also came to a standstill and commuters faced tough time in the absence of private and government buses.
Notably, the Kriyanusthan Committee has been holding protests in front of various government offices in Titlagarh for the last 95 days. Consequently, official works have been badly affected in the subdivision.
The demand for a separate district has been going on for the last 26 years. Despite home to a large population, Titlagarh was left out of district status when the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik increased the districts from 13 to 30.
Since then, no one is bothered to hear the pleas of the people, the agitators said. The agitation has been going on since November 1 with several organisations protesting in front of Titlagarh sub-collector’s office.
The agitators warned to intensify their agitation if their demands were not met in the coming days. To avoid any untoward incident, the district administration has deployed police personnel at major points in the town.
PNN