Vehicular traffic came to a halt and markets remained shut in several Maoist-infested regions of Odisha on second day of the two-day country-wide shut-down called by the rebels.

Impact of the bandh, called by the red rebels to protest the killing of their top leader Kishenji, was felt in several places of naxal-infested districts like Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Sundargarh and Kandhamal.

Passengers faced a tough time as buses and other vehicles remained off the roads in most Maoist-hit areas including Malkangiri, Rayagada and Sundargarh for the second day on Monday, police said.

Shops and business establishments remained closed in Kalimela, Motu, Padia and Chitrakonda areas of Malkangiri district and remote places and areas bordering Jharkhand in Sundargarh district, they said.

Security was tightened in all Maoist-infested districts as a precautionary measure, while force deployment was strengthened near jails, armouries and government buildings, a senior police official said.

Patrolling was intensified in vulnerable areas and borders with neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal were sealed amid thorough checking of vehicles, he said.

While a high school hostel had been destroyed by the ultras on the first day of the bandh yesterday in Malkangiri district, no untoward incident was reported from any place of the state so far today, police said.