Strike: Mixed response in Punjab, poor in Haryana

CHANDIGARH - Punjab witnessed a mixed response to the nationwide strike called by opposition parties Monday against rising fuel prices. In Haryana, a Congress-ruled state, the response was poor.

Most of the educational institutes, banks, hospitals, shops and transport services in Haryana and in Chandigarh functioned normally.

There was, however, some impact of strike in Punjab as many shops in Bathinda, Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Jalandhar cities were closed.

The ruling Akali Dal in Punjab and the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana had urged the people to join the shutdown.

At various places in Punjab, Akali Dal activists were seen forcing the people to shut their shops and business establishments. A train was also stopped by Akali Dal activists in Amritsar. After the symbolic protest, they allowed it to proceed.

Akali Dal spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema said: “There is a complete bandh in Punjab. The situation is peaceful and no untoward incident was reported here. We are only convincing people to follow this call and nobody is taking law into their hands.”

Rail and road traffic remained normal in the region.

In Chandigarh, Bharatiya Janata Party activists were seen forcing shopkeepers to close their properties in Sector 17, the main commercial hub of this city, and in Sector 22. However, the overall situation was normal.

“I thought buses will not run. But everything is normal and there is no bandh like situation,” Ashish Sharma, a teacher at a government school in Derabassi in Punjab, told IANS.

Manmohan Singh, general secretary of the Sector 19 market association in Chandigarh, said: “There is no impact of the bandh in this area. All shops are open.”

The Chandigarh administration had appealed to people to boycott the shutdown.