Bandh hits Bengal, Kerala hardest; Mumbai unmoved

The 24-hour countrywide strike called by 11 major trades unions and their affiliates today to protest the rising prices and demand better working conditions has had a mixed response, with West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura – three states with a long Leftist tradition – being the worst affected.

In other parts of the country, including Mumbai and Delhi, the strike was largely restricted to heavily unionised sectors like banking, insurance, government services, and to a lesser extent, transport.

In West Bengal, there were fewer vehicles on the road but several schools and government offices remained open following a warning given by chief minister Mamata Banerjee that absence from duty will be treated as a break in service.
 
However four flights were reported to be cancelled so far in the state, and blockades were put up at the Asansol railway station. Some local trains remained stranded and there were also reports of one bus being destroyed at Salt Lake in Kolkata.

State Director General of Police Naparajit Mukherjee said in Kolkata that the situation was normal in the districts. Some arrests have been made in certain places including Hasnabad and Madhyamgram for obstructing traffic, he said.

Kerala too saw a relatively strong response to the bandh call. The roads of the capital Thiruvananthapuram wore a deserted look as buses and autos were not running. Reports from across the state said the impact of the strike was near total in the transport sector with buses, taxis and auto rickshaws keeping off the road.

The Oommen Chandy government has issued notices to government employees and has threatened to deduct salaries of those who abstain from work. The government has also warned that ad-hoc and temporary employees will lose their contract if they participate.