There has been mixed reaction to the call for Bharat Bandh in Karnataka.The reports of shops and business establishments remaining closed have been received from different parts of the state.Private schools and colleges have declared holiday for the two-day bandh. Banks are also closed for the day. Different unions of autorickshaws and taxis have declared their support for the bandh. In Bangalore, policemen are deployed in public places to avert any kind of untoward incident. Police sources say that 17,000 police personnel are deployed to maintain law and order in Bangalore. Our Correspondent adds that except for minor incidents of rasta roko and protest march, the situation remains peaceful in most parts of the state.
In Tamil Nadu, the trade union strike has evoked poor response till now. All vehicles including government buses, private vehicles and autos are plying without any hindrance in all parts of the State like Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Kanniyakumari and Salem. Government offices are working normally and schools are open. In Tiruchirapalli Divisional Railway office an emergency control room has been set up . Higher officials are monitoring the situation at Villupuram, Tiruvarur and Tiruvannamalai railway stations. RPF security has been provided to reservation offices and parcel offices. However, government buses and other vehicles are not plying near Kaliyikkaviula at the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.
In West Bengal, train services of the Eastern and South-Eastern Railways have remained normal so far. The flight operations from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport are also as usual so far. The West Bengal Government has taken all necessary steps to maintain normal life in view of the two-days' strike called by different trade unions from today.The State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed to the traders and others to open their shops and establishments during the bandh. Our Kolkata correspondent reports that vehicular traffic is plying on the roads but in lesser numbers. No untoward incident has been reported so far. Additional police pickets have been posted in the sensitive areas.
In Andhra Pradesh, transport, power and telecom services are likely to be hit with several trade unions taking part in the 48-hour long general strike. Transport services are hit with about 40 thousand employees of the state owned Road Transport Corporation-APSRTC taking part in the strike. Commuters, especially at the Railways and Bus stations are facing problems as some of the trade Unions of Auto Riksha Drivers are also taking part in the strike. Some political parties like Telangana Rastra Samithi have extended support to the strike and called upon their cadres to take part in the strike.
Meanwhile, in view of the general strike, the South- Central Railway is running additional local trains in Hyderabad.
