New Delhi, September 20: The bandh called by NDA, Left parties and SP to protest against diesel price hike, FDI in multi-brand retail and cap on subsidized LPG on Thursday evoked mixed response as protestors disrupted road and rail traffic in parts of UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha but it had little impact in Mumbai.
In Delhi, most of the markets remained closed and vehicular movement was normal though protesters blocked traffic at some places.
Shops in some areas like Bhogal, Laxmi Nagar, Defence Colony and South Extension in the capital were open in the morning hours but big markets like Khan Market, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk and Kashmere Gate were shut.
Auto rickshaws plied in the city and buses of state-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) were on the roads in large numbers. At New Delhi railway station, auto drivers staged a protests and refused to carry passengers.
However, most of the private schools in Delhi remained closed.
BJP supporters blocked vehicular movement on Vikas Marg. A BJP spokesperson said the party will be staging protests at around 100 locations in the capital.
A senior Delhi Police official said a large number of personnel have been deployed. "We have ensured that every major road has police presence," he said.
Samajwadi Party and BJP workers staged demonstrations and stopped trains at a number of places in Uttar Pradesh. Protestors stopped trains in Mathura, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad and Lucknow while BJP workers and traders blocked the Agra-Gwalior Highway by burning tyres.
Major markets remained closed at a number of places in UP, including in the state capital, official sources said in Lucknow.
Raising slogans against FDI in retail, a group of SP workers held a demonstration outside the Wal-Mart store at Sultanpur in Lucknow. The party also protested outside divisional railway manager's office in Hazratganj.
The bandh evoked little response in Mumbai owing to Ganesh festivities across Maharashtra. Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have kept away from the day-long bandh due to the festival.
Loss of Rs 12,000 crore
"Today's bandh (strike) has been disruptive for business and trade in many parts of the country. While an exact loss for the entire economy is not known, it can be estimated that almost Rs 12,500 crore ($2 billion) has been the loss to the country in terms of disruptions in production and trade," the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Thursday.
It also said the government should not roll back the recent reform measures under political pressure.
"Good economics seldom makes for good politics and therefore, it is important to communicate to the masses the merit and necessity of the reform measures announced by the government," the CII said.
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