Mangalore: Trade union strike - support dies down on day two
Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (BG)
Mangalore, Feb 21: The 48-hour nationwide strike called by the trade unions has evoked mixed response in the city, with the first day on Wednesday February 20 witnessing protests and shutdown by bus services, schools and shops, but returning to normalcy on the second day .
Buses and other commercial vehicles which stayed off the roads on the first day of the strike were back in business on February 21. Majority of the shops opened, and so also schools and colleges. Normal life was back on track.
Traffic resumed normalcy on February 21, with both private and government buses plying as usual.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Vasanth Acharya, district general secretary of CITU said, "The 48-hour strike has been successful until now. Unassociated workers, roadside vendors, daily wagers, bank employees, BSNL and MESCOM contract workers, Anganvadi and airport workers and others are on complete strike for 48 hours."
"Other than the few buses and commercial vehicles that are running, the bandh has been a big success, with huge support by the associations and the general public," he added.
B Madhava, state vice-president of CITU said, "Although various organizations have come together and called off the 48-hour all India strike, all the other unions have joined hands and made the bandh successful."
"The fact that some commercial vehicles are running shows the weakness of the association and the unions concerned. But on the whole, the bandh has been a success," he opined.
Kundapur
Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (VM)
Kundapur, Feb 21: Shut down continued on the second day of the strike called by the various labour and workers' associations against the UPA government over price hike of commodities and other labour issues.
However, support seemed to be dying down with government buses, lorries and tourist vehicles operating as usual on Thursday. But auto rickshaws came to a halt, and people found it difficult to commute.
In city limits, all shops were closed and the shop owners voluntarily supported the protest. Banks remained shut.
Protest near Shastri circle
Members of various labour associations staged a protest on NH 66 near Shastri circle. But as per the order by police, they allowed movement of vehicles. Later, a bike rally was organized through the main streets of the city.
On Thursday, students were put through inconvenience as private buses did not step on to the road even though schools and colleges remained open.
No strike in rural areas
Other than Kundapur city, there was response for the protest in rural areas like Hemmadi, Gangolli, Tallur, Koteshwar, Kumbashi and others was mediocre. Shops remained open but some of the activists were seen closing the shops forcibly. Other than two wheelers and four wheelers, vehicular traffic was relatively less. Fish market was also closed.
Cricket at bus stop
Youngsters were seen enjoying the strike as they played cricket at the deserted new bus stop.
Overall, the strike received mixed response from the public. A few policemen were deployed at prime locations and no untoward incidents were reported.
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