Bharat Bandh Cripples Life In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Normal life was hit in Odisha on Tuesday following the two-day nationwide bandh by 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) with at least 20 crore workers in protest against the government’s alleged anti-worker policies and unilateral labour reforms.

In Balasore, the trade union activists staged rail roko and detained the Guwahati-Thiruvananthapuram superfast express and Howrah-Puri passenger trains. At Jaleswar railway station, the Kharagpur-Khurda Passenger and Baghajatin Passenger trains were also detained. Vehicular traffic in Balasore town also came to a standstill.

In Rayagada district, trading establishments remained closed while there was no plying of vehicles in Gunupur. The bandh was total in the Lamtaput block of the district. All government and private buses stayed off the road in the district headquarters. The trade union activists staged a road blockade at Kapilash Chhak.

In Sundargarh district, the trade union activists closed six railway sidings at Bonai and picketed on the National Highway-215 and 143.

In Rourkela, the activists staged road blockade at Birsa Chhak and Ambagan Chhak. In view of the bandh, tight security was put in place in and around the Rourkela Steel Plant.

In Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district, the trade union leaders and workers staged a demonstration in front of five gates of the Paradip Port and blocked the road leading to the IOCL plant at Rangiagarh.

In Berhampur, the Bangalore-Howrah Duronto superfast express and Ahmedabad-Puri superfast express trains were detained.

In Puri, the Puri-Cuttack Passenger and Puri-Gunupur Passenger trains were detained.

The bandh was total in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

In Cuttack, the trade unions affiliated to the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI)-Communist picketed at different places and staged rail roko at the railway station.

In Bhubaneswar, vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt as the protesters burnt tyers at several places and busy thoroughfares in the city and picketed on the road. The trade union leaders staged a sit-in dharna at the Master Canteen Square.

In view of the trade union strike, the Odisha government on Monday had announced the closure of all educational institutions on Tuesday.

The BJD government and its trade union front Biju Sramika Samukhya (BSS) have extended their support to the two-day nationwide strike called by CITU, AITUC and others trade unions.

The 10 CTUs participating in the strike include INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU and AIUTUC, among others. However, the RSS affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is not participating in the strike.

The trade unions have demanded fulfilment of a 12-point charter of demands viz., inflation control, minimum monthly salary of Rs 18,000, equal pay for equal work, social security provisions, discontinuation of foreign investments in railways, banks and insurance sectors and jobs for unemployed youths among others.