New Delhi:
Buses burnt in Lucknow; flights cancelled in Kolkata. The 12-hour Bharat bandh called by the Left-led 13- party front against spiralling prices is forcing cities to a stop. The NDA is not participating in this bandh call.
The parties which have taken the leading role to make this bandh a success are the Communist Party of India (CPI), Biju Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (M), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Samajwadi Party (RSP).
West Bengal:
With the Left parties leading the bandh call, West Bengal is expectedly worst-hit. According to a rough estimate made by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the bandh will lead to a production loss of close to Rs 500 crore to West Bengal.
At Kolkata airport, only Air India is operating flights. All private airlines have stopped services. No taxis are available at the airport and railway stations as all prepaid booths are closed.
(Watch)
The bandh, which began at 6 am in the morning, has also disrupted train traffic and left lakhs of passengers stranded. While nine long-distance trains arrived at Howrah and Sealdah, a number of other Kolkata-bound trains are stuck - Kanchakanya at Burdwan, Kamrup Express at Sreerampur, Purbanchal Express at Baichi, Barbhanga Express at Pandua. (
Read: List of trains hit)
Among the Howrah-bound trains stuck are the Mumbai Mail at Uluberia, Koeraput Express at Mecheda, Yashwantpur from Bangalore at Pashkura, Ranchi-Hatia at Kharagpur and Puri-Howrah Garibrath at Sakrail.
All local trains in Kolkata have also been stalled at various places where there are blockades. South-eastern Railway has reported blockade at 15 to 16 places in West Bengal.
Express Howrah trains which stand cancelled include Rupashi Bangla to Purulia, Dhauli to Puri, Janshatabdi to Barbil, Falaknuma to Hyderabad, Steel Exp to Jamshedpur plus intra state trains, Aranyak, Tamralipta, Kandari and Purulia.
Meanwhile, there are also reports of eight people being injured in a clash in Pandua in Hoogly district.
The altercation happened when a train which was coming to Howrah was stopped by CPM supporters at Pandua.
Uttar Pradesh:Train services have also been severely disrupted at various places in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party workers stopped the Ganga Gomti Express in Allahabad. Trains have also been stopped a stone's throw from the Capital, in Ghaziabad.
Two state buses were set on fire by Samajwadi Party on the outskirts of Lucknow at around 5.30 am. Shops in the city are closed.
Kerala:There is complete bandh in Kerala too. Streets are deserted and public and private transport is off the road.
Shops, business establishment, schools and other educational institutions are also completely closed.
While there are reports of trains being disrupted at some places, no air traffic disruption has been reported so far.
Orissa:
There is no train or air traffic disruption in Orissa so far. But protesters are planning to stop few major trains and disrupt road traffic at some points.
They are reportedly stopping work only at central government offices, state offices are not affected.
Bihar:
In Patna, RJD and LJP workers blocked roads and squatted on railway tracks. More than 4000 bandh supporters, including LJP president Ramvilas Paswan and other opposition leaders, were rounded up from different parts of the state.
(Watch)
Shops and major business establishments remained closed; long distance buses did not ply; schools and colleges remained closed and traffic was seen plying in depleted numbers.
Andhra Pradesh:
Opposition activists held protests across the state.
Leaders and workers of Opposition parties staged sit-ins in front of depots of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and several other places.
Passengers had a tough time as APSRTC suspended its services at various places as a precautionary measure.
New Delhi:
The bandh failed to evoke any response in the Capital with vehicles plying as usual and shops and offices functioning normally.
Shops were open and attendance was normal in offices and educational institutions.
Haryana:
The bandh evoked a mixed response in Haryana. Rail and road traffic in the state was plying normally though private transport was off the road at some places. Government offices and other establishments were also functioning as per routine.
There was partial response to the bandh in Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Sirsa and Karnal. Several shops and other commercial establishments were closed in Ambala city.
Hisar and Naraingarh and Barara towns of Ambala and district observed complete shutdown. In Bhiwani, too, it evoked a good response.