Angul: People of the district observed a daylong strike on Thursday in support of their four-point demands, including a medical college.

However, it did not have any impact in Talcher, where some organisations had opposed the strike call.

The strike had a total impact on Angul, Pallahara and Athmallick town besides all the places, including Nalco Nagar and Banarpal. The Angul Zilla Janjiban Surakhya Committee, headed by advocate Pramod Pradhan, gave the strike call. It had the support of almost all organisations such as the bus association, bar association and the truck association as well as the merchants' body.

The protesters had four main demands - immediate starting of the Talcher medical college, upgrade of the Angul district hospital to a super-specialty facility, shifting of a poultry firm near the district hospital to other area and the posting of doctors in vacancies in the hospitals across the district.

The strike hit the normal life and vehicular traffic came to a halt in Angul. Government offices, private industry, schools and colleges in the district were closed. So were the shops and business establishments. The protesters also stopped two inter-city trains at railway station for two hours. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the highway linking Cuttack and Sambalpur.

"The bandh was peaceful," said committee chairman Pradhan. "There was enthusiastic response from the people of the district to the call which is meant to benefit them. We want that our four demands should be met by state government, else we will decide our next course of action. Angul hospital should immediately be converted into super-specialty facility as all the cases are being referred by the doctors here," Pradhan said.