The empty Bhubaneswar railway station during the 12-hour nationwide strike on Thursday. (PTI)

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 20: Srinivas Patra, an IT professional from Berhampur, missed an important meeting in Cuttack today, thanks to the nationwide bandh called by the non-Congress Opposition to protest against diesel price hike and foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail.

“The supporters of the strike detained our train for nearly an hour at Barang. Having to skip this meeting means major business loss. Who will compensate me for this?” fumed the 37-year-old executive.

He was not the only one grumbling as the 12-hour shutdown that coincided with Nuakhai in western Odisha hit life in large parts of the state.

“We reached Cuttack around 7am by the Lokmanya Tilak Express and were supposed to leave for Jajpur. Since most of the trains were running late, we decided to hire a taxi and travel up to Jajpur where we had an appointment. But while there were no taxis in sight, even autorickshaws had disappeared,” said D.K. Ojha, a businessman from Nagpur, who was travelling with a colleague.

Train services and public transport were the worst hit by the shutdown, which was supported by major non-Congress parties, including the BJP, CPI and CPI(M). The ruling Biju Janata Dal had kept itself away from the strike on the plea of Nuakhai, which was celebrated in western Odisha. That part of the state was kept out of the ambit of the bandh.

The East Coast Railway authorities cancelled 45 trains, as strike supporters squatted on rail tracks in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Balasore causing disruption of services. Similar protests were also witnessed in other parts of the state. There was tension at the Bhubaneswar railway station in the morning when passengers protested against the detention of the Balangir-bound Intercity Express by over three hours. Most of the passengers were going home to celebrate Nuakhai.

Public transport, including buses and autorickshaws, kept off the roads in all the strike-hit districts, throwing life out of gear. Today being an official holiday because of Nuakhai, government offices, schools and colleges remained closed.

Work in the mines of Talcher and Keonjhar was affected, but the strike did not have an impact on the Rourkela Steel Plant, Nalco smelter in Angul and Paradip port.

Tourists faced difficulties, as they were unable to find transport. “We had plans to visit Puri and Konark. But since no buses and taxis are operating today we decided to postpone the trip,” said H.P. Sharma, a tourist from Delhi.

The strike drew support from traders in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Traders at Malgodown, the largest wholesale market in the state, and Chhatrabazar, one of the biggest vegetable markets, joined the agitation under the banner of Odisha Byabasahi Mahasangha. “We are against the Centre’s decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in retail trade as it will affect business and the livelihood of lakhs of traders and others engaged in the sector,” said Cuttack Chamber of Commerce joint secretary Srikant Sahu.

Nearly 500 Opposition activists were arrested all over the state. BJP activists led by former Union minister and the state party’s central in-charge, Santosh Gangwar, took out a motorcycle rally to enforce the strike in Bhubaneswar. Similar rallies were also organised in Cuttack by the Left parties.

“The response to the bandh shows that the days of the UPA government are now numbered,” said Gangwar.

His views were mirrored by, who demanded rollback of the “anti-people measures” taken by the UPA government.

The strike, however, had no impact in western Odisha, where Nuakhai was celebrated with traditional fervour. Major political parties, including the BJP, had decided against doing anything during the strike there to dampen the Nuakhai spirit.

Shops and commercial establishment remained opened in Sambalpur town with public transport plying normally. However, members of the BJP staged demonstration in front of central government offices in the town, which is the political nerve centre of western Odisha.