Bhadrak, Dec. 6: Normal life in Bhadrak was hit today by a strike against the shifting of courts to a new venue.

Other than members of the Bhadrak District Bar Association, vendors, typists and local traders took part in the strike, which evoked a mixed response and was peaceful.

Inspector in-charge of Bhadrak town police station Manoj Rout said: 'Except for the period of picketing, the traffic on the national highway was normal. There was no problem in law and order.'

Work at the court was adversely affected by the agitation. The lawyers abstained from their court work. They also sat on a dharna in front of the district judge court.

Proceedings of the Lok Adalat were also affected. However, the judicial magistrates could enter into their courts despite the protest from the agitators.

'There are no infrastructure facilities there. The place is on an accident-prone patch,' said Bishnu Mohapatra, president of the bar association.

'Despite our protest, construction work at Nalanga is going on. If our grievance is not addressed, we will intensify the agitation,' Mohapatra said.<-3.000>

Suryakanta Kuanr, the association's general secretary said: 'There is no justification behind the shifting.The low-lying area at Nalanga faces water logging problem even after a drizzle.'

'The area is 5km from the town. The litigants will face trouble if the courts shift. We had apprised all concerned, including Orissa High court and Supreme Court, of our demand. We won't allow the shifting at any cost,' Kuanr said.

Most of the shops and business establishments in the town were also closed. Business of financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies were affected and most of the schools, colleges and other educational institutions were closed as well.

Traffic on the NH-5 was stopped for about an hour. Movement of trains was not affected. After the picketing, the traffic on the highway became normal.

On the other hand, a meeting was held at Nalanga, under the banner of Bikash Parishad, in support of the shifting. President of the parishad and the local sarpanch Asit Panigrahi said: 'The town is expanding and the courts require more space. Considering the needs, the location has been decided.'

'The market and other business establishments would grow faster after the shifting,' Panigrahi said.

The groundwork is under way at Nalanga with pillars being constructed on 3 acres of land.

Mrutunjay Samal, a local resident of Tala Gopabindha, said: 'The town is expanding and the courts require more space. Hence, the shifting is a just decision.'