Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 2: It was a testing time for Sulochana Behera as she faced severe problems in reaching Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (AHRCC) from Malkangiri.
The 52-year-old woman, who had come to Cuttack for the treatment of her husband suffering from cancer, was stranded at Bhubaneswar railway station for nearly four hours due to nationwide strike by 10 trade unions here today.
"We somehow managed to reach Cuttack but had to spend nearly Rs 200 for covering a distance of nearly six km from Cuttack railway station as most of the auto-rickshaws stayed off roads today," said Behera.
Train and bus services were adversely affected in twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar due to the nationwide strike to press for the 12-point demands of the trade unions.
The strike was called to demand a minimum monthly wage of Rs 18,000, end of privatisation of public sector undertakings and remedial measures to control price rise.
Streets in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack wore a deserted look with passengers getting stranded at Baramunda bus stand and the airport in absence of public transport.
"People used motorbikes to pick up and drop passengers, especially from the airport. The bikers charge arbitrarily, making the most of the situation," said Narayan Moharana, a passenger at the airport today.
The train services were affected for nearly three hours at Bhubaneswar railway station, while passengers were stranded for around two hours at Cuttack railway police station.
In view of the strike, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) cancelled five passenger trains and short terminated four others. Besides, as many as 21 express trains were stranded at several railway stations across the state.
"By 6.10am we reached the Bhubaneswar railway station, but demonstrators did not allow the trains to move on. We were forced to remain inside the train for around three and half hours. This was frustrating for the passengers," said Amit Chouhan, a passenger of Yesvantpur-Muzaffarpur Express. The train finally left the Bhubaneswar railway station at 9.40am.
Not only passengers, but litigants were also affected as lawyers of Orissa High Court and other lower courts here stayed away from the court citing "inconvenience" due to the nationwide bandh against 'anti-labour policies' of the central government.
High Court Bar Association secretary B.K.Ragada said: "We resolved not to attend court today anticipating possible inconvenience for the lawyers to reach the court due to the strike call. However, our absence should not be construed as support for any bandh".
On the other hand, several tourist buses from outside the state were forced to remain stranded on the road in Bhubaneswar.
With eatery shops and hotels remained closed, the tourists had a trying time. Those who could were seen preparing food on the roadside.
"We have left Puri to visit Nandankanan after the hotel employees there told us that there would be no effect of strike in Bhubaneswar. But the protestors stopped our bus in Bhubaneswar, forcing us to prepare our food on the streets," said Anirban Ganguly, a tourist from Bengal.
Deputy commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar, Satyabrata Bhoi said that the agitation was peaceful.
"We have deployed as many as 30 platoons of police in various areas in Bhubaneswar. No untoward incident have taken place during the strike," said Bhoi.
