Strike paralyses life in Left bastions

CPM and Trinamool activists clash in Kolkata

 
In West Bengal, the strike had halted commercial activities and, barring a few violent incidents involving rivals CPM and Trinamool Congress (TMC), it was observed peacefully, police said. 

One TMC activist was shot dead at Nanoor in Birbhum district and two were injured at Bhadreswar in Hoogly district during the bandh.

Strikers in Kolkata forcibly halted vehicular traffic in the city, making life difficult for tourists, residents and patients needing emergency medical care.

IT sector affected

Despite the Information Technology sector opening their door for business as usual, workers of CITU-affiliated to CPM blocked roads, preventing the employees from reaching their respective offices in the IT hub.

Major carriers cancelled nearly 100 flights at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and those arriving were stranded since there were no cab services.
The strike had a similar effect in Left Democratic Front-ruled Keralla where total in transport sector with buses, trucks, taxis and autorickshaws keeping off the road, halting the mobility of people.

Attendance was thin in government offices and public sector and scheduled banks, where unions supported the strike.

The protest also affected functioning of shifts in most factories since last midnight but evoked no response from the IT sector.

All units at the two major IT centres, Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark in Kochi, functioned as usual with the companies bringing workers in vehicles in convoy, IT sector sources said.

Though trains operated without interruption, people arriving from other states faced problems in the absence of public transport and closure of shops and restaurants.

In Mumbai

The strike forced over one lakh autorickshaws and thousands of taxis off the road in Mumbai, where it was spearheaded by the Autorickshaw Union.

However, a section of taxi drivers in south Mumbai, already affected by four strikes in the last three months, did not join forces with the auto union, but had extended their "moral support" to the strike. 

The strike has been exasperated by the staying away of 1,800 Meru cab drivers from their duties since Monday evening.

The drivers have been demanding a further hike in the fares that were already increased in response to the rise in petrol and diesel rates.