Strike severely hits normal life

Kolkata, 7 Sept: Normal life was hit with air and road transport remaining disrupted today in Left-ruled West Bengal due to countrywide trade unions' strike against price rise.

Flight operations to and from Kolkata was crippled as private airlines including Kingfisher, Indigo, Jet Airways, Spicejet together cancelled nearly 80 flights. Passengers were stranded at the airport as they faced difficulty in getting vehicles, sources said.

Air India sources told PTI that flight operations by AI remained normal with the airline operating eight flights in the morning after the strike began. These flights include an international flight to Singapore and domestic flight to Mumbai, Port Blair, New Delhi, Silchar and Aizawl.

AI cancelled their flight to Kathmandu, sources said.

Passengers of two flights each to New Delhi, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Bagdogra and Dimapur will be carried together later in the day.

The countrywide strike today took the shape of a Bangla bandh here with the ruling Left Front extending support to the call.

Shops, bazzars, other commercial establishments and educational institutions the city and the suburbs were mostly closed. State and private buses were off the roads. Roads wore a deserted look.

Train and Metro rail services remained normal as they have been kept outside the purview of the strike in West Bengal by CITU, the CPI(M)'s labour wing. Train services were normal, but people faced trouble due to non-availability of buses.

IG Law and Order Surajit Purakayastha said the strike was so far peaceful with no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state.

CITU's general secretary Kali Ghosh said it was a 24-hour general strike in West Bengal against price rise and Centre's policy on divestment and privatisation.

The state INTUC distanced from the strike.

"There is no question of supporting CITU's general strike. We are concerned about the interests of the industrial workers and their job security. So we will observe a strike in the industrial units only," INTUC president Pradip Bhattacharya said.

CITU leaders said since this is the Ramzan period, they have exempted Muslim-dominated areas from the purview of the strike.

On the frequent strike calls by CITU in the state, Ghosh said, "People face problem 364 days a year. What is the big deal with just another day. This bandh is also for a good cause."

Trinamool Congress is opposing the strike. Party chief Mamata Banerjee has said a day's shutdown has a crippling effect on the economy.
 


(PTI)