The nationwide bandh called by the NDA
and Left parties to protest the petrol price hike on Thursday evoked a
mixed response amid incidents of stone pelting, arson and road blockades
in Karnataka, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
In the national capital, the bandh did not evoke much response though party supporters blocked traffic in some places.
Small shops were seen open in many areas in the morning while commuters complained that there were less autos on roads as a number of auto and taxi unions have joined the protest.
In the financial capital, Mumbai, bandh supporters pelted stones at buses in two suburban areas of the city. Elsewhere in Maharashtra, activists pelted stones at 13 buses in Pune, 10 in Nagpur and Thane districts and stopped some buses by blocking roads in Satara district
Local trains and buses were plying as usual in most parts of Mumbai.
The bandh disrupted normal life in parts of BJP-ruled Karnataka where bandh supporters set on fire three buses and stoned about a dozen others forcing authorities to withdraw bus services in the city. Public transport was hit and shops and business establishments remained shut in several parts of Karnataka.
There was no impact of the bandh in Kerala and a lukewarm response to the stir in Tamil Nadu.
In Bihar, NDA Convener and JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain were among 800 activists taken into custody while enforcing the bandh.
Yadav, who along with 700 odd supporters took out processions in Saharsa town to enforce the call, was taken into custody.
Hussain, the BJP national spokesperson, and others were detained in Bhagalpur town while trying to enforce the bandh.
Yadav demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resign immediately for the "failure" of his government to control the spiralling prices of petroleum products and essential commodities.
In West Bengal, bandh supporters blocked some roads in some areas and squatted on railway tracks. Bandh supporters blocked the Howrah Bridge, which connects the metropolis to the Howrah district. They also blocked roads at Chapadali more in Barasat, in Bankura district, Budge Budge and some other places, police said.
However, buses, cars, taxis, trams were running in the metropolis though in less number.
Normal life was affected in Punjab due to the strike. Commercial establishments in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Batala, Kapurthala, Pathankot and Amritsar remained closed, though factories and other industrial units were operational.
The impact of bandh was also visible on the transport network with buses including private ones remaining off the road, causing inconvenience to people, as per reports pouring in from various districts including Patiala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Kapurthala.
However, in Chandigarh, shops and commercial establishments remained open and buses were plying as usual.
In Congress-led Haryana, the bandh call did not evoke much response with shops and commercial establishments remaining open at most of the places in the state.
Markets were closed in major cities of Rajasthan and private buses off the road due to the bandh.
The unprecedented hike in petrol prices has helped the Left and the Right to make common cause for the nationwide protest, described by BJP and its allies as Bharat Bandh and by Left as All India Protest Day.
This is the second time that the BJP, Left and other non-Congress parties will be coordinating their agitations since the last Lok Sabha elections to give the impression of a wider Opposition unity on issues concerning people.
A similar agitation against petrol price hike had happened on July 5, 2010.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which is supporting the UPA government from outside, has also given the bandh call as has BJD in Odisha.
Goa remained completely shut except for few buses of state-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation plying on roads along with emergency services, in response to NDA's bandh call against the petrol price hike, sources said.
Several tourists were seen stranded in the coastal belt as tourist taxis, private buses and even autorickshaws were off roads fearing attack by protestors.
Police claimed that the strike was largely peaceful till noon sparing few incidents of road blockages and pelting of stones reported in North Goa's Bicholim town.
Siolim bridge linking the North Goa to Bardez and Tiswadi talukas was also blocked.
The attendance in the government and private offices remained scarce since morning, sources said.
The vehicles were hardly seen on roads in the morning but by noon people were seen travelling by the private transport.
Fearing action from transport department against them, All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) had earlier decided not to support the strike, but they did not run their buses.
State-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited had few of its buses plying on some routes.
But the skeletal number of buses were not enough to cater to the passengers who were seen stranded on various bus stands across the state.
Several banks, which had initially decided not to join the strike, had rolled down their shutters as they ran short of staff to run day to day affair, sources said.
The shutdown was peaceful with security tight across the state, the police said.
Shops, business establishments, schools, colleges, banks and offices remained closed throughout the state including the state capital and at Cuttack, Berhampur, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Paradip.
In the state capital, roads wore a deserted look as public transport virtually came to a grinding halt.
Protesters carrying placards and banners held demonstrations and blockades demanding immediate roll-back of the hike in petrol price.
Train services were hit with bandh supporters blocking tracks at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Balasore, delaying several trains including the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Express, police sources said.
A large number of passengers were stranded at railway stations and bus stands in the state.
In the national capital, the bandh did not evoke much response though party supporters blocked traffic in some places.
Small shops were seen open in many areas in the morning while commuters complained that there were less autos on roads as a number of auto and taxi unions have joined the protest.
In the financial capital, Mumbai, bandh supporters pelted stones at buses in two suburban areas of the city. Elsewhere in Maharashtra, activists pelted stones at 13 buses in Pune, 10 in Nagpur and Thane districts and stopped some buses by blocking roads in Satara district
Local trains and buses were plying as usual in most parts of Mumbai.
The bandh disrupted normal life in parts of BJP-ruled Karnataka where bandh supporters set on fire three buses and stoned about a dozen others forcing authorities to withdraw bus services in the city. Public transport was hit and shops and business establishments remained shut in several parts of Karnataka.
There was no impact of the bandh in Kerala and a lukewarm response to the stir in Tamil Nadu.
In Bihar, NDA Convener and JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain were among 800 activists taken into custody while enforcing the bandh.
Yadav, who along with 700 odd supporters took out processions in Saharsa town to enforce the call, was taken into custody.
Hussain, the BJP national spokesperson, and others were detained in Bhagalpur town while trying to enforce the bandh.
Yadav demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resign immediately for the "failure" of his government to control the spiralling prices of petroleum products and essential commodities.
In West Bengal, bandh supporters blocked some roads in some areas and squatted on railway tracks. Bandh supporters blocked the Howrah Bridge, which connects the metropolis to the Howrah district. They also blocked roads at Chapadali more in Barasat, in Bankura district, Budge Budge and some other places, police said.
However, buses, cars, taxis, trams were running in the metropolis though in less number.
Normal life was affected in Punjab due to the strike. Commercial establishments in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Batala, Kapurthala, Pathankot and Amritsar remained closed, though factories and other industrial units were operational.
The impact of bandh was also visible on the transport network with buses including private ones remaining off the road, causing inconvenience to people, as per reports pouring in from various districts including Patiala, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Kapurthala.
However, in Chandigarh, shops and commercial establishments remained open and buses were plying as usual.
In Congress-led Haryana, the bandh call did not evoke much response with shops and commercial establishments remaining open at most of the places in the state.
Markets were closed in major cities of Rajasthan and private buses off the road due to the bandh.
The unprecedented hike in petrol prices has helped the Left and the Right to make common cause for the nationwide protest, described by BJP and its allies as Bharat Bandh and by Left as All India Protest Day.
This is the second time that the BJP, Left and other non-Congress parties will be coordinating their agitations since the last Lok Sabha elections to give the impression of a wider Opposition unity on issues concerning people.
A similar agitation against petrol price hike had happened on July 5, 2010.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which is supporting the UPA government from outside, has also given the bandh call as has BJD in Odisha.
Bharat Bandh: Goa remains shut, tourists stranded
Goa remained completely shut except for few buses of state-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation plying on roads along with emergency services, in response to NDA's bandh call against the petrol price hike, sources said.
Several tourists were seen stranded in the coastal belt as tourist taxis, private buses and even autorickshaws were off roads fearing attack by protestors.
Police claimed that the strike was largely peaceful till noon sparing few incidents of road blockages and pelting of stones reported in North Goa's Bicholim town.
Siolim bridge linking the North Goa to Bardez and Tiswadi talukas was also blocked.
The attendance in the government and private offices remained scarce since morning, sources said.
The vehicles were hardly seen on roads in the morning but by noon people were seen travelling by the private transport.
Fearing action from transport department against them, All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) had earlier decided not to support the strike, but they did not run their buses.
State-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited had few of its buses plying on some routes.
But the skeletal number of buses were not enough to cater to the passengers who were seen stranded on various bus stands across the state.
Several banks, which had initially decided not to join the strike, had rolled down their shutters as they ran short of staff to run day to day affair, sources said.
Bharat Bandh: Train services hit in Odisha
Normal life in Odisha was affected on Thursday during the bandh called by NDA, Left parties and ruling BJD against the steep increase in petrol price.The shutdown was peaceful with security tight across the state, the police said.
Shops, business establishments, schools, colleges, banks and offices remained closed throughout the state including the state capital and at Cuttack, Berhampur, Puri, Balasore, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Paradip.
In the state capital, roads wore a deserted look as public transport virtually came to a grinding halt.
Protesters carrying placards and banners held demonstrations and blockades demanding immediate roll-back of the hike in petrol price.
Train services were hit with bandh supporters blocking tracks at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur and Balasore, delaying several trains including the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Express, police sources said.
A large number of passengers were stranded at railway stations and bus stands in the state.
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