Dawn-to-dusk bandh for district status to Ghumsar cripples normal life in Bhanjanagar

A 12-hour bandh is being observed by the Ghumsar Kriyanusthan Committee in Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district today demanding grant of district status to Ghumsar. 

The dawn-to-dusk bandh has thrown normal life out of gear. While the local units of the political parties, social organisations and journalists’ association extended their support to the bandh call, shops and business establishments downed their shutters. Similarly, vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt. 

From the morning, the members of the Ghumsar Kriyanusthan Committee were seen picketing at strategic locations in the town. 

However, educational institutions like schools and colleges have been excluded from the purview of the bandh in view of ongoing examinations. 

Notably, there are eight blocks in Bhanjanagar sub-division. The Ghumsar Kriyanusthan Committee has been demanding district status for Ghumsar, comprising those eight blocks for the last 30 years. The demand for district status got intensified when several regions, with some of them lacking infrastructure, raised their district status demand. But the Ghumsar Kriyanusthan Committee claims that Ghumsar has all infrastructure required to get the status. 

Worth mentioning, Padampur in Bargarh district is said to be in the pipeline to get the district status. During his visit to Padampur on February 19 this year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had reiterated that district status to Padampur would be accorded within a year.

(Reported by Rajesh Panda, OTV)