Baripada, Nov. 5: The strike, called by all political parties except the BJD, to protest against the delay in setting up of a government medical college in Mayurbhanj threw life out of gear in the district.

The bar association, too, supported the shutdown. Leaders and supporters of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Bhanja Sena, BJP and the Congress hit the roads to stage protest.

The government had announced that a medical college would come up in the district.

However, leaders are apprehensive about its fate particularly after chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for a medical college and hospital at Remuna in Balasore district on October 28. The distance between Remuna and Baripada is 55 kilometres.

Both the districts have been demanding a medical college. Shortly before the Assembly polls this year, the state government announced that it would set up a medical college and hospital in Mayurbhanj out of its own resources. The central government subsequently announced that it had approved setting up of such institutes in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Balangir, Koraput and Puri.

However, there has been no progress on that front as of yet.

Biplab Barik, secretary of the bar association, said: “The foundation stone for the medical college has been laid in Balasore. What about Baripada? The government is yet to identify land for the purpose.”

Kalinga Kesari Jena of the Morcha said: “We will continue our fight till we get a medical college here.”

Schools, colleges, court, shops, business establishments, banks, post offices and other financial institutions, including insurance companies, remained closed today.

District collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said: “Twenty-one acres have been identified at Rangamatia. It has been cleared by the technical committee. The tender for the establishment of all the five medical colleges in the state will be finalised together. In December, the foundation stone for the college will be laid,” he said.