Chattisgarh bandh to protest fuel price hike

Shops and business establishments remained closed in Chhattisgarh in response to a bandh.

Shops and business establishments remained closed in Chhattisgarh on Saturday in response to a bandh called by the Chattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries to protest the hike in fuel prices and to press for the abolition of professional taxes.

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However, the bandh did not affect vehicular traffic. "Since the public transport system came under the purview of essential services, it was exempted from the bandh," Transport Association President Pramod Dubey said,

No untoward incident was reported from any part of the state, police said.

Meanwhile, state Chamber president Puranlal Agrawal claimed the bandh was total.

"Chhattisgarh produces only paddy and for the rest of the commodities, the state is dependant on import from outside", he said adding that with the increase in prices of petrol and diesel, transportation costs will increase, burdening the people of the state.

Agarwal also demanded that the state government lower the commercial tax from the current 25 per cent to 15 per cent.