Balangir: Security has been tightened in Balangir town, which remained remain tensed for the second day on Friday, following a bandh called by Joint Action Committee to reiterate its demand for a bypass road.
Following the bandh, hundreds of commuters were left stranded with no vehicles plying on the roads. Markets, shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed. Emergency services have, however, been exempted from the purview of the shutdown.
The agitators were seen staging blockades at major junctions by burning tyres, affecting vehicular movement in the town and nearby areas including Patnagarh, Tusura and Puintala.
The bandh is being supported by Congress, local traders, members of truck and bus owners’ associations.
“Construction of a bypass outside the town will help to bring down fatalities due to road accidents and this has been a longstanding demand of the locals. It is unfortunate that the district administration has turned a deaf ear to it. We appeal to the people of the district to join hands with us to make the strike successful,” Youth Congress leader Samarendra Mishra had said on Thursday.
The party workers also demanded adequate compensation for the family of a college student, who died after being hit by a speeding truck at Satyanarayan Pada on Wednesday morning.
