Cuttack: Life was disrupted in the city as business establishments downed their shutters, public and private vehicles were kept off the road and educational institutions remained closed during the state wide 12-hour strike observed by the BJP and the Congress over the suicide of the alleged Kunduli gang-rape victim.

Train services were hit as BJP activists squatted on the tracks at the railway station. While the East Coast Railway cancelled some trains originating from the state, some trains were controlled at other stations and some were short-terminated and rescheduled.

Closure of shops and trading establishments were mostly restricted to those along the major thoroughfares, apparently because of the fear of vandalism. Shops along the secondary roads, lanes and by-lanes, on the other hand, remained open for most part of the day.

Shops were kept open at Malgodown. "We kept our business open as we received no communication calling for the bandh," said Cuttack Chamber of Commerce secretary Prafulla Chatoi.

Chatoi, however, conceded that business during the day was affected as retailers depending on Malgodown could not reach the march because of the strike.

While auto-rickshaws were seen ferrying commuters in various parts of the city, state BJP vice-president Nayan Mohanty said: "We did not prevent any medicine shop from opening or vehicles with medical request."

The outpatient wings of the SCB hospital and Sishu Bhavan functioned as usual, but the patient inflow registered a fall of 20 to 30 per cent.

The strike created problems for the commuters, especially those intending to come to Cuttack from Bhadrak, Balasore and other parts of the state for treatment at SCB and Sishu Bhavan.

Many persons had to drop plans to travel out of Cuttack. "I was supposed to visit my elder brother at Kanapur. But, I had to drop the idea and decide to go on Thursday as buses were not available," said Ashok Mohanty of Rajendranagar.

City Congress president Md Moquim expressed satisfaction over the impact of the strike. "People from various sections responded in their own way as the bandh call was given on an emotive issue," Moquim said.