<div><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">In Odisha, normal life has come to a halt in the western region due to a 48-hour Maha Bandh called by All Western Odisha Bar Association demanding a permanent High Court bench in their region. </span></div><br />''<br />''<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Shops, educational and business establishments and markets have remained closed due to the bandh, which started this morning. Various lawyers' associations of different districts of western region joined the two-day shutdown to press the Central government for the permanent bench of Orissa High Court in this region.<br />''<br />''<br />''In Sambalpur, agitating lawyers disrupted the rail services. The Biju Patnaik University of Technology has also postponed its examination to be held today. Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi also took part in the agitation at the Sambalpur railway station. <br />''<br />''<br />''<br />''However, the Balangir Bar Association has decided not to participate in the two-day-long shutdown. Instead, it will launch a separate agitation for the establishment of High Court bench in Bolangir.</span><br />