The Hindu : National : Little response to bandh call

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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National

Little response to bandh call

Staff Reporter

KOLKATA: Normal life was largely unaffected by the 12-hour State-wide bandh in West Bengal called by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) on Tuesday in protest against the alleged irregularities in the public distribution system and the continuing violence in Nandigram.

Buses and trams, as well as private transport, plied normally on the roads. Attempts by SUCI activists to disrupt local train services, especially in the Sealdah section, and to obstruct road traffic at major intersections in the city were foiled swiftly, said Raj Kanojia, Inspector General (Law and Order).

No major untoward incident was reported from any part of the State, Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray added.

The SUCI, however, claimed that the bandh was total and most shops and markets in the State were closed. The bandh was also meant to protest the intrusion of multinational corporations in retail trade. Around 280 people were arrested around the State, police sources said.

The impact of the nationwide strike call by the All India State Government Employees’ Federation (AISGEF) was more visible, with the State Secretariat at Writers’ Building in the city wearing a deserted look throughout the day.

The State Finance Minister, Asim Dasgupta, said the step taken by the workers to protest the new pension scheme was “worthy of support.”

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