Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 18: The BJD's five-hour strike to protest the hike in fuel and gas prices brought life in the twin cities to a standstill, but people who dared to defy it had to face the hooliganism of party activists.

Though the BJD had announced yesterday that emergency services would be left outside the purview of the bandh, on the ground the directive was not carried out.

'I suffered from abdominal pain in the morning. As I approached Capital Hospital in an autorickshaw, a group of activists stopped it and manhandled the driver. They prevented us from going any further,' said 58-year-old Krushna Mohanty, a Unit-V resident.

Narayan Majhi, 32, who had an appointment with a doctor at a private hospital to vaccinate his 11-month-old boy, had a similar experience. 'My wife and I were going to hospital with the kid. Suddenly some people came and blocked our path near Vani Vihar Square,' said Majhi, a Sailashree Vihar resident.

People travelling to and from the railway station and bus stand faced trouble as BJD activists blocked major roads in Bhubaneswar. 'I reached Bhubaneswar around 8.30am by the Durg-Puri Express to visit my ailing sister at a private hospital,' said 30-year-old Sumit Mishra from Balangir. Mishra's autorickshaw was stopped near Master Canteen, and he was asked to return to the railway station. 'I was not aware of the strike. Threatened by the activists, I had to wait for three hours at the railway station and then I called my brother-in-law who came and picked me upI get ready in morning to go to my office. He further said though the hike had affected the people, the ruling party should be careful about how they protest. Chhatra Bazar vegetable mandi opened after noon. Shops kept their shutters down during the hartal. 'We opened shop after the hartal was over,' said Dilip Sahu, a vegetable shop owner at Cantonment Road.

Rail and vehicular traffic were disrupted because of blockades at railway station and national highway. Buses remained off the road till noon.

'The situation in the city was by and large peaceful with no untoward incidents reported during the strike,' deputy commissioner of police (Cuttack) Akhileswar Singh told The Telegraph.

Sri Vihar resident Anandjit Patnaik said: 'I had to wait till noon to leave home for work at College Square as I my two-wheeler was low on fuel and I needed to fill the tank.'

Passengers had to wait at Badambadi bus stand till noon to get a bus. 'I reached the terminal at 9am but could not go to Jagatsinghpur till buses started plying after the hartal was over,' said Junuspatna resident Balaram Sahu.

Chhatra Bazar vegetable mandi was affected as major trading, which takes place from morning till noon, got disrupted. 'The mandi was opened after noon,' said Chhatra Bazar Byabasai Sangha president Debendra Sahu.