Bhubaneswar:
Traffic remained disrupted across Odisha on Thursday, the second day of the two-day countrywide strike called by major trade unions against central government economic policies, police said.
Buses, taxis and other passenger vehicles did not ply and markets remained closed in many of the towns as protestors picketed bus and taxi stands and market places.
Movement of vehicles on state and national highways was also hit as protestors blocked roads by burning tyres.
Carrying banners and placards, the demonstrators also trooped to the railway stations and squatted on rail tracks. Train services resumed normal operations in some places after police intervention.
However, banks, and insurance and other financial institutions remained shut across the state. Educational institutions like schools and colleges were also closed in several places.
"Road traffic has been hit. However, train services resumed normal operations in many places after police intervened," a senior police official at the state police headquarters at Cuttack, about 25 km from Bhubaneswar, told IANS.
"The protests were peaceful. There has been no untoward incident reported so far," he said.
Both central and state government offices also functioned as usual with adequate attendance, even though protestors attempted to prevent employees from reaching offices in some places.