Stir spawns response, cripples life

THE CITY wore a deserted look and life remained crippled on Tuesday following the general strike called by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Left Front and Transporters? union against the hike in petrol and diesel prices. The SP leaders and activists put up roa blockades at many places, burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and forced closure of shops across the city.

THE CITY wore a deserted look and life remained crippled on Tuesday following the general strike called by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Left Front and Transporters’ union against the hike in petrol and diesel prices.

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The SP leaders and activists put up roa blockades at many places, burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and forced closure of shops across the city. All the entry points to the city, either by road or by train, were blocked by the activists. The police and the district administration appeared helpless against the protesting SP activists.

However, government offices functioned normally. Citizens preferred to stay home and ventured outside only in case of urgency. The situation returned to the city in the evening.

Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha activists stopped the Lucknow-bound Ganga Gomti Express for one hour at the Prayag station in the morning. SP MLA Ansar Ahmed led the road blockade at Phaphamau, while SP MLA Vijma Yadav at Jhunsi. The daily commuters had to suffer and they preferred walking to reach their destination safely. Shastri Bridge, Naini Bridge, Curzon Bridge, Sulemsarai, Handia, Teliarganj, Civil Lines, Balson Crossing, Chowk, Bairahna, Mutthiganj and several other places in the city witnessed the effect of bandh.

No major incident was reported except hot exchanges with the shopkeepers at some places. Stone pelting was also reported at the Raja Karan Palace cinema hall.

Transporters also supported the bandh and no work was carried out in the Transport Nagar area. No delivery, no booking and locked godowns in the locality indicated the success of the bandh. Allahabad Goods Transport and Motor Operators Association (AGTMOA) president Anil Kushwaha said that the transporters have decided to raise the freight charges by 10 per cent from June 15 to offset the increase in diesel price.

According to Kushwaha, the freight tariff of medicines would be increased by Rs 1 per package, garments Rs 2 per packet, for hardware and others durable there would be an increase of Rs 5 per quintal. AGTMOA general secretary Kuldeep Mishra and treasurer RC Pathak said that like other states where there is relaxation in sales tax, the price of diesel and petrol is lowered and if such relief is also given in UP, which has the highest tax in the country then it would take off the burden from the citizens.

Varanasi: It evoked a near total response in the city, where normal life was thrown out of gear.

The SP and Leftist activists took to the streets in protest against the petro price hike in the temple town. Shops and business establishments were closed. Attendence in government and private offices was thin due to lack of transport.

“The bandh was a total success and it demostrated the public’s strong opposition to the hike in prices of petroleum products,” SP city president Rakesh Jain said.

Surprisingly, life in Gazipur was normal, barring a chakka jam at a railway crossing for some time. This was so though Gazipur is a stronghold of the ruling Samajwadi Party. In Chandauli, the shops were closed as Tuesday was a holiday for traders. There were reports of a chakka jam from Mau. However, commercial activities were not affected.

“The bandh was peaceful with no report of any untoward incident from any part of the division,” inspector general of police (IGP) AC Sharma told the Hindustan Times.

Gorakhpur: Amidst stray incidents of scuffle and loot, the strike evoked a good response. Shops and and business establishments remained closed. The SP activists stopped the Jansewa Express at Surajkund crossing for at least 40 minutes and blocked movement of traffic at national highway no. 28 near Nausarh crossing. State minister Jaiprakash Yadav led the road blockade. The SP activists looted around half-a-dozen shops at three places, including the railway station and Dharmshala Bazar. An undeclared curfew like situation was witnessed in various markets. The SP activists tried to damage a petrol pump, which was open. However, no FIR was lodged.

Faizabad: The general strike evoked a partial response in the twin cities of Faizabad and Ayodhya. Most of the shops and business establishments remained closed, as did petrol pumps. A public rally was held at Collectorate compound, which was addressed by Health Minister Ahmad Hasan, among others. There was no report of any untoward incident.

Pratapgarh: Party activists squatted on the tracks at Bhupiaman railway crossing for about two hours and detained the Sarju Express. They blocked Allahabad-Faizabad road for two hours at Chowk Ghantagarh and for half an hour before the Collectorate.

Jaunpur: All shops and business establishments remained closed in the city. Samajwadi Party MP Paras Nath Yadav contacted the office-bearers and advocates of both the Civil Court and the Collectorate Bar Associations.

Yesterday, a resolution had been passed to abstain from judicial work today.

The strike appeared to have evoked almost a total response.

Lakhimpur Kheri: The city traders observed a partial bandh. There were minor disputes between some traders and SP activists. Samajwadi Party workers of the district staged a massive demonstration at the local Willoughby Hall. They also marched through the throughfares of the city. Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha (SYS) leaders and activists detained the Lucknow-bound Ruhelkhand Express and demonstrated at a railway crossing.

Sant Kabir Nagar: The SP workers detained the Rapti Sagar Express and a goods train at Khalilabad railway station. Police intervention allowed the trains to proceed after two and a half hours.

Later, a general strike was observed in Khalilabad town. Most business establishments and petrol pumps were closed.

Meanwhile, the Vaishali Express from New Delhi to Barauni, the Gorakhpur –Gonda passenger and a goods train wee detained at the Basti railway station for about one hour fifteen minutes on Tuesday morning by several hundred Samajwadi Party workers led by their district chief Rajaram Yadav. The party workers shouted slogans against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The whole of the Basti town observed the strike. Even petrol pumps and tea stalls were closed. The SP workers took a round of Basti town and requested traders to close their business establishments.

Police and PAC personnel were deployed in Basti to maintain law and order.
Several hundred SP workers blocked the Basti-Faizabad national highway near Murghat chauraha road.