Life hit in West Bengal as shutdown begins

KOLKATA - Normal life was disrupted in West Bengal Monday as road and rail services were affected and government offices were closed following a 12-hour shutdown called by non-Congress parties in the country.

Supporters of the state’s ruling Left held rallies from early morning in several parts here, put road blocks and forcibly prevented people from going to work.

No public buses were plying and roads wore a deserted look. Government offices remained closed as the shutdown turned out to be a government-sponsored strike.

“No untoward incidents were reported across the state. The strike is peaceful. We have deployed policemen to handle any kind of untoward situation and maintain law and order across the state,” Inspector General (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purkayastha said.

Several long distance trains were cancelled and others stranded at different places as political supporters squatted on railway tracks at different sections.

Passengers of the Sealdah and Howrah railway stations as well as the NSC Bose airport were worst sufferers. They will have to wait without food and water till train services resume in the state.

“Train services were badly hit. Bandh (shutdown) supporters squatted on railway tracks, obstructing train movements on different sections. Several trains were stranded and some cancelled,” an Eastern Railway spokesperson said.

The city’s lifeline - Metro Rail - were also disrupted, despite assurances that metro services would run smoothly. Left supporters with flags and banners crowded in front of different metro stations and forced metro employees to shut station gates.

On Sunday, metro authorities had assured that measures would be taken to run metro services smoothly. Also, all metro employees were asked to attend their duties on time.

Shutdown supporters did not spare city’s information technology hub also. Hundreds of Left activists organised rallies and prevented IT professionals from going to offices.

“The bandh will be a successful one as people of West Bengal are supporting the bandh call wholeheartedly. No untoward incidents were reported. The bandh has been peaceful by and large till now,” Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretariat member Shyamal Chakraborty said.