The nationwide strike called by the coordination committee of the central trade unions threw normal life out of gear in many parts of the state, impacting railways and flight services and also affecting business operations, especially in sectors like mining, banking and insurance.
Eight central trade unions including CITU, INTUC, HMS and AITUC had called for one day nation wide strike protesting against disinvestment of profit making public sectors, price rise and proposed change the labour laws among other things.
The roads were deserted in major locations of the state like Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Berhampur and Sundergarh while schools, colleges, banks, post offices and even petrol outlets were shut in some places due to the strike. The trade unionists squatted on the tracks and halted trains for a few minutes at the Bhubaneswar and Rourkela stations, partially affecting railway movement.
The one-day shutdown took its toll on the mining operations which were paralyzed in the mineral rich Sundergarh and Keonjhar districts as mine workers halted work and transportation of ores came to a grinding halt.
Coal mining in Talcher coalfield, one of the largest coalfields in India, was badly hit due to the strike. However, the IB valley coalfield of Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL) functioned normally except at Lakhanpur mine where work was stopped only for a brief period.