Maharashtra bandh: Wholesale market shut, autos off the roads in Pune

Several retail vegetable vendors opened their shops in the morning but shut them down later. The restaurants and hotel associations have decided to open their establishments at 4pm

The day long Maharashtra bandh called on Sunday by the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition to protest against Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident in Uttar Pradesh received mixed response during the morning hours in Pune, with the wholesale vegetable and fruit market in the city remaining shut along with several auto rickshaw unions deciding to stay off the roads.

Local traders kept their shops shut in response to the shutdown call given by the 3 parties running Maharashtra’s coalition government. (HT Photo)

Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) officials said they had decided to keep the buses run by the corporation off the roads till 12pm to avoid any damage. However, state transport buses operated uninterrupted and so did the private cab service.

Also Watch: Maharashtra comes to a standstill in protest against Lakhimpur Kheri violence

Several retail vegetable vendors opened their shops in the morning but shut them down later. The restaurants and hotel associations have decided to open their establishments at 4pm.

In western Maharashtra, the shutdown has evoked mix response. The Shiv Sainiks blocked Mumbai-Bangaluru highway near Kolhapur for 15 minutes before around 15 of the party workers were detained.