BHUBANESWAR: As many as 18 trains were cancelled and five others diverted on Friday due to rail roko at several places in western Odisha as part of the ongoing Mahabandh over establishment of a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court.

The Central Action Committee (CAC) of All-Western Odisha Bar Association (AWOBA) is observing the 48-hour Mahabandh since Thursday to press their long-standing demand of a High Court bench in the region.

Several lawyers’ associations and socio-cultural organisations of different districts in the region are participating in the agitation. 

East Coast Railway (ECoR) cancelled and diverted trains as bandh supporters resorted to rail roko at Sambalpur, Hirakud and Sambalpur City.

The trains which were cancelled include Sambalpur-Jammu Tawi Express, Sambalpur-Rayagada-Sambalpur Express, Sambalpur-Puri Sambalpur Inter City, Bhubaneswar-Balangir-Bhubaneswar Inter City, Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur Passenger, Sambalpur-Koraput-Sambalpur Road Passenger, Sambalpur-Junagarh Road-Sambalpur Road Passenger, Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Rourkela Inter City, Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur Passenger and Rourkela-Sambalpur-Rourkela Passenger.

Puri-Durg-Puri Express, which left from both the directions on Thursday, has been diverted via Vizianagaram-Rayagada-Titlagarh and Raipur. Similarly, Puri-Hatia-Puri Tapaswini Express was diverted via Jakhapura-Jaroli-Chakradharpur and Rourkela. Puri-Ajmer Express has been diverted via Khurda Road-Vizianagaram-Rayagada-Titlagarh and Raipur.