Bandh paralyses normal life in Odisha’s Rayagada

Reported by Ranjan Rath
Rayagada, Mar 30:

Normal life was disrupted in the South Odisha’s Rayagada town today following a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh call by the Zilla Adivasi Samaj.

While all trading establishments, banks, educational institutions remained closed, vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt during the bandh.

Earlier in the day, the agitators, led by the president of Zilla Adivasi Samaj, Pratap Puala, staged a road blockade at Kapilash Chhak from where they took out a rally in the town.

Later, a delegation of the Samaj submitted its 11-point charter of demands to the district collector.

The demands include appointment of Sikshya Sahayaks at the district level, setting up of a medical college and hospital, a tribal university and a technical university in Rayagada town and appointment of local youths in the existing and upcoming industries in the district.

The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements with deployment of police forces in the town.