The dawn-to-dusk strike observed by the Titilagarh District Action Committee demanding the district status to Titilagarh on Friday paralysed life in the town, about 65km from here.

Commuters faced difficulties as vehicular traffic was badly hit because of the strike.

While business establishments downed their shutters, all schools, colleges, government and private units, including banks and insurance offices, remained closed. However, railway and other essential services were exempted from the strike call, which won the support of all major political parties such as the BJD, Congress and the BJP. The strike was total and peaceful.

Titilagarh resident Ashok Mahakud, who works in an office in Balangir, said he had to take a leave as buses kept off the roads. “I had to remain on a leave as buses were off the road because of the strike. But, I don’t regret as I support the demand for a separate Titilagarh district,” he said.

Subhasish Mishra, another local resident, said the market was completely closed and he could not even get a packet of milk for his morning tea.

Santosh Mishra of the district action committee said the state government had always overlooked their demand for a separate district. “Our demand had been overlooked in 1993 when the then chief minister, Biju Patnaik, created 17 more districts to increase their number from 13 to 30. Strangely, Titilagarh was not considered though it has all the criteria to become a district. Since then, we have been agitating regularly to press for the demand of a separate district,” he said.

Mishra said that with five blocks out of the 14 in the district, 110 gram panchayats out of the 296, two of the four urban bodies and a population in excess of five lakhs, the Titilagarh sub-division definitely qualified to become a district.

BJD MLA from Titilagarh Tukuni Sahu has joined hands with the agitators to demand the district status. “Titilagarh needs to be immediately upgraded as a district. This is a long-pending and legitimate demand of the local people and as an elected representative of the area, I also support it. The government should start modalities to declare Titilagarh as a district without further delay,” said the MLA.

Committee members have also threatened to boycott the upcoming sub-divisional level Lok Mahotsav to be held in Titilagarh if the government fails to fulfil their demand immediately.