Bhubaneswar, March 22 (IANS) Buses were off the road Monday in several districts of Orissa on the first day of the 48-hour shutdown call given by Maoists in six states, an official said.

Government buses, especially those plying long distances, were off the road in Gajapati district. Vehicular movement was also hit in some areas of Maoist-hit Rayagada, Gajapati and Malkanagiri districts as Maoists blocked roads in some places by felling trees.

The vehicular movement on National Highway 215 was hit in Sundergarh district as Maoists blocked the road by placing stone blocks on it.

A land mine was recovered near Roxy station in the district, hitting rail services on the route.

'A live land mine was recovered near Roxy station. We are checking the rail tracks,' said S. Sethy, a police officer of Bonai sub-division.

The shutdown has been called in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and in three districts of Maharashtra - Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli - to protest the security forces' ongoing Operation Green Hunt.