Guwahati: In Assam, normal life was disrupted in Congress-ruled Assam due to the Bharat bandh called by BJP and other opposition parties to protest diesel price hike, FDI in multi-brand retail and cap on subsidised LPG.
Markets, shops, educational institutions, banks and private offices remained closed across the state, while long distance private buses and other vehicles kept off the roads, official sources said. Government-run buses were seen on the city roads but privately operated city buses did not ply.
Picketers, led by former CPM MLA Ananta Deka, blocked the railway tracks at Rangia in lower Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) district delaying the Delhi-bound North East Express and Brahmaputra Mail, they said.
After the tracks were cleared with the arrest of over 50 protesters, the two down trains controlled at Baihata and Guwahati respectively left for their destinations. Other trains and flights, however, operated normally, the sources said, adding there was no report of any untoward incident.
In Guwahati, BJP national vice president Bijoya Chakraborty along with her party supporters was out on the main roads requesting the people to ensure success of the bandh.
Security personnel were deployed on the city streets, highways, at vital installations and vulnerable areas across the state.
All the state government offices, including that of Transport and Power functioned normally. The government had issued a notification yesterday to ensure normal functioning and attendance in all government offices and undertakings in the state in view of the nation-wide bandh today.
The notification warned that the government would resort to pay-cut, break in service and disciplinary action against the employees, who remained absent from their duties during the bandh period.
All the heads of offices and departments were further instructed to deduct pay and allowances for unauthorised absence from offices and duties today and to initiate disciplinary action for such unauthorised absence.
The Congress-led government in Assam had yesterday decided to raise the number of subsidised cylinders from the proposed six to nine for each household in a year.
“Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed that every household in the state would be entitled to nine LPG cylinders at subsidised rates,” an official statement said.
In Manipur, all markets, business establishments, educational institutions and entertainment houses remained closed while attendance in government offices was almost nil, reports said.
Buses, taxis and private vehicles were off the roads as also transport services between Manipur and neighbouring states, the reports said. The strike also affected normal life at all district headquarters.
Security measures were in place at all vulnerable areas in the state capital complex.
In Tripura,all the business establishments, market, educational institutions and public offices remained close. No vehicles plied and train services between Tripura and Lumding had been cancelled.
Streets wore a deserted look and people preferred to stay indoor.
However, the administration made extra deployment of security forces across the state as a measure to avoid any untoward incident.
Meanwhile, Opposition Congress criticised the government over the strike and alleged that they wanted to divert the attention of public before 2013 Assembly poll.
In Arunachal Pradesh’s state capital Itanagar and its adjoining areas, markets, shops, educational institutions, banks and private offices remained closed, while all sort of private and public vehicles were off the roads, police said. However, the government-run vehicles were seen on the road with security. Attendances in government offices were recorded thin. Elaborate security arrangements were put in place with security personnel deployed on the city streets and at vital installations and vulnerable areas across the state, sources said. The bandh was total in all the districts as well, the sources added.
Meanwhile, Nagaland remained unaffected despite the NDA-sponsored Bharat bandh.
According to district administration sources from some of the districts of Nagaland including Kohima and Dimapur, all the business establishments were functioning normally, banks were also transacting their normal business, Government offices and educational institutes were functional normally.
Flow of all types of vehicular traffic throughout the state was also normal.
The Nagaland unit of BJP, which was supposed to take programme in support of the bandh, said thre is so far no information of any programme anywhere in the state.
Besides the NDA and the Left, the shutdown has the support of parties like the Samajwadi Party, the TDP, the BJD and many others. (Agencies)