Demand for HC bench in Sambalpur:48-hour bandh announced

Members of Sambalpur District Bar Association and several other organizations intensified their stir over the demand for the establishment. The establishment they seek is of a permanent bench of Orissa High Court in western Odisha. The decade long demand is now under scanner with a 48-hour Maha Bandh across the region November 29 and 30.

Lawyers in Sundargarh and Subarnapur districts also extended their support for the agitation and picketed in front of several government offices in their respective districts.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of lawyers halted Sambalpur-Puri and Sambalpur – Rayagada Intercity trains at Khetrajpur station.

Vehicular movement on the roads came to a grinding halt and normal life was thrown out of gear following the observation of Maha Bandh in the region. Shops, educational institutions and business establishments remain closed.

Vehicular traffic was also disrupted in the area; giving commuters had a harrowing time to reach their destinations.

Bandh supporters also held a rally and resorted to picketing and road blockade in several important junctions in the towns.