Balasore: Normal life was thrown out of gear Monday following a 12-hour-hour bandh called by the BJP in Soro and Bahanaga blocks of Balasore district, demanding sub-division status to Soro.
While national highways and railway stations were exempted from the agitation, vehicular traffic on other roads was disrupted. Protesters held pickets at several places and staged road blockades. Most business establishments, as also government and private offices, remained closed for the day.
“Seeking sub-divisional status to Soro, we had approached the district administration many a time. The town fulfills all the criteria to get this status,” said a BJP leader.