GUWAHATI, April 27 � The 12-hour nationwide strike called by thirteen Opposition parties to flay the UPA Government over rising prices of essential commodities passed off peacefully and evoked mixed response in the capital city of Assam. Rail and air services were the most affected.
Rail services were also affected and fourteen trains rescheduled by the NF Railway due to the bandh. The position, though was likely to change later as several trains have been detained en route at different stations considering the safety of passengers.
An official of the Loka Priya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport also informed that a number of flights to and from Guwahati were rescheduled and cancelled due to the bandh.
�Flights of almost every air service had to be either rescheduled or cancelled,� the official stated.
Educational institutions and banks remained mostly closed in the capital city, while business establishments and Government institutions functioned in the normal mode, with somewhat affected attendance. Most of the shops in Chandmari, Ganeshguri, Ulubari, Guwahati Club and Ambari areas also remained open.
The State Secretariat and the Deputy Commissioner�s office also witnessed thin attendance throughout the day.
Though private city buses remained off the roads in the early part of the day giving a tough time to commuters, the frequency increased as the day progressed. Other private vehicles, however, hit the road with almost usual intensity.
Business establishments in Fancy Bazar and Ganeshguri areas, the hubs of business activities in the city, were also partially affected.
Meanwhile, two-city based journalists were misbehaved with by a policeman during the strike hours in the Panbazar area this afternoon while they were discharging their official duty. The matter was sorted out after senior police officials intervened.
No other untoward incident was reported during the strike hours in and around the city.
Our Correspondent from Jorhat adds: Normal life in Jorhat was paralysed by the 12-hour strike called by the 13 political parties today in the country protesting against the Government�s failure to control the price hike of the essential commodities. Except some Government offices and educational institutes, most of the business establishments remained closed during this period. The number of vehicles on the streets was relatively few. Long distance vehicles were cancelled during the daytime.
Our Rangiya Correspondent adds: CPI-M workers blocked the Dn Kamrup Express for nearly four hours at Rangiya Railway Station during the bandh period. Vehicular traffic came to a standstill and educational institutions, business establishments, banks remained closed.
