Bhubaneswar, Feb. 19: Lawyers of west Odisha today observed a dawn-to-dusk strike, paralysing life across the region, especially in Sambalpur, Deogarh, Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts.

The lawyers, notwithstanding the state government’s appeal not to go for a strike, are demanding a separate bench of Orissa High Court in the region.

However, fissures surfaced in the bar associations of the region. The lawyers’ associations of three districts — Balangir, Kalahandi and Nuapada — did not support the strike call, as all of them demanded that high court bench be set up in their districts.

The strike call had no effect in these districts.

The functioning of the state and central government offices across this region have been paralysed since February 3 on the issue. The state government, which is yet to recommend a suitable location for establishment of a high court bench, has taken advantage of the situation as the bar associations also failed to reach a consensus on the issue. Yesterday, the government issued a formal appeal to the members of the bar associations not to go for the agitation.

Finance minister Prasanna Acharya, who hails from west Odisha, said: “The chief minister has already written letters to this effect to Union law minister Kapil Sibal, urging him to engage in a dialogue with the high court. We are waiting for his response.”

However, the chief minister’s letter had side-stepped the major issues raised by Sibal in his October 23 letter to Naveen. In that letter, Sibal had asked the chief minister to identify places for location of the proposed high court benches in west and south Odisha and other infrastructures required for it. Sibal had also said consent of the Chief Justice of the state’s apex court was mandatory in the matter.

The state government is in a fix as the Justice C.R. Pal Commission, which is examining demands for separate high court benches, is yet to submit its report.

Secretary of the Balangir Bar Association Saroj Gupta said: “We are not supporting the bandh call given by the central action committee of the All Western Odisha Bar Associations. The high court bench should be re-established in Balangir as we had a high court during the British raj. We have only boycotted the court work and have closed the collectorate and tehsil offices.”

Kalahandi lawyers associations demanded that the bench should be located in their regions. In Rourkela, the strike passed off peacefully. “The bandh was successful and the response was overwhelming,” said Ramesh Bal, president of the Rourkela Bar Association, which is also demanding that permanent bench be established in Rourkela.

The shutdown had its impact in Samablpur, the nerve centre of the agitation. All major roads across the Sambalpur town wore a deserted look, while all shops, banks, business establishments remained closed.