Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: Aasman Patra, 39, is facing deduction of a day's salary after he failed to reach office on Monday with public transport, including buses, taken off the road because of the Congress' six-hour chakka jam in protest against escalating fuel and cooking gas prices.

"They did it at a time when most people head to their workplace. I had started off for my Patia office at 9am, but I couldn't get a bus or an auto-rickshaw and had to return home. My office is very strict about timing and they will deduct a day's salary," said Patra, employee of a corporate company.

Those heading to the railway station, bus stand or the airport also bore the brunt of the chakka jam. Many were forced to walk to the station and bus stand since public transport was off the roads.

"I came here on vacation with my family. We planned to take the Bhubaneswar-Balangir Intercity Express. We checked out from our hotel at Ashok Nagar, but couldn't get an auto-rickshaw. We then walked almost 3km to the station," said Vishesh Sharma, a resident of Sambalpur.

People also faced difficulties at the Baramunda terminal with buses staying off roads. Several buses - both intercity and intra-city - didn't move out of the stand, forcing people to wait for hours till the chakka jam was withdrawn at 12pm.

"I planned a trip to Puri since my 60-year-old mother wanted to visit the Jagannath temple. I reached the bus stand around 8am since it would take an entire day to make a return trip to Puri, but there was not a single bus that we could board. Since I took the day off from work, I will have to complete this trip today (Monday) itself," said Dinesh Joshi, a resident of Baramunda.

Many people had to depend on rickshaws to reach their destinations. Filling stations across Bhubaneswar remained shut. Owners of private vehicles, who dared to venture out amid the chakka jam, also faced harassment.

"I was going to the filling station on my bike when an activist stopped me near Jayadev Vihar Square. They asked me to support their call since the price hike was affecting a large section of people," said Raviraj Hota, a resident of Nayapalli.

Deputy commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar, Anup Kumar Sahoo said apart from the harassment that people faced, the chakka jam was peaceful. "We deployed adequate police personnel in the city to maintain law and order. No untoward incidents took place. However, people who were harassed have been asked to lodge specific complaints and we will take action accordingly," said Sahoo.

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee had called for the 6am to 12noon chakka jam in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to protest unprecedented fuel price hike. "We don't want people to suffer, but the government will not listen if we don't adopt such measures," said a Congress activist.

The chakka jam, despite being peaceful, had its impact on Cuttack as well. Vehicular traffic was paralysed on the national highway as a large number of buses and trucks were stranded because of picketing by Congress activists at Madhupatna, Sikharpur and Jagatpur.

Buses were kept off the road at Badambadi terminus as commuters were held up till noon. "The protest was peaceful. No untoward incident was reported except for a minor brawl between a student and Congress worker at Madhupatna," deputy commissioner of police, Cuttack, Akhileswar Singh said.

"We deployed eight platoons in the city."

The police said vehicular movement was disrupted in the main thoroughfares of the city with most four-wheelers staying off roads. Though autos plied in some areas, a few two-wheelers were also seen in and around Cuttack.

Cuttack City Congress president Md Moquim said: "It was not a shutdown, but a protest. And there was overwhelming response from the people as they are badly-affected by the soaring oil prices."