The nationwide strike called by all the trade unions has failed to evoke any response in Maharashtra till Wednesday afternoon with transport and banking services remaining largely unaffected in many districts as well as in the country’s financial capital Mumbai. Besides, no untoward incidents were reported from any region of the state.
Suburban trains known to be the “lifeline of Mumbai” with a ridership of more than 75 lakh commuters per day, public buses, taxis and autorickshaws have all been running normally in the island city and suburbs.
Similarly, Metro and Monorail services were running smoothly, officials said, adding that BEST-operated bus services were also running as per schedule. Private transport services like taxis and auto-rickshaws were also plying normally in Mumbai.
Besides, film and TV shoots also remained unaffected. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) said that all its members reported to work as usual and nothing was hampered because of the strike.
In Pune, transport services remained unaffected.”Buses operated by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) are plying normally,” reported Shankar Pawar, Director, PMPML. Educational institutes and commercial establishments in the city remained open as usual.
Federation of Chakan Industries (FCI) secretary Dileep Batwal said that 20 to 25 per cent of industries were affected in Chakan MIDC area due to the strike. In Solapur in south-west Maharashtra, transport and other services remained largely unaffected. A senior Solapur Police officer said that the strike had no impact on the normal life in the city. A district official said that attendance remained thin in various government offices in Solapur.
Trade unions INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC along with various sectoral independent federations and associations participated in the strike for various demands.
Voices on Bharat Bandh
Shivani Lokhande
“Yes, I support the concept of Bharat Bandh. When people are politely keeping their points before the government, they haven’t paid attention. My question is why have people to resort to a strike, why can’t the government understand the importance of unemployment, minimum labour wages, privatising the public sectors? As the government is not paying attention to all this, jobs of many public sector workers are at stake for eg :BSNL, MTNL. Labourers are fighting for their rights which I don’t think are wrong. Had the government addressed all the queries in the meeting held on 2nd Jan 2020, then strike wouldn’t have happened. This is a total ignorance of the government.”
Sumita Chakraborty
“No, I don’t support any bandh. By closing down things, you cause a disruption of work which affects the economics of the country. And if you check our history, none of the bandhs so far has been instrumental to solve a problem. If you want a nation to progress, I think we should do away with this bandh culture as a form of protest.”
Forum Soni
“No, I don’t support Bharat Bandh because I think it creates a lot of inconvenience for the people who work on daily wages. For other people, it doesn’t impact because as for us it’s like a normal holiday and we will enjoy the day. But when it’s a Bharat Bandh, a lot of violence takes place like the bus are burnt, auto-rickshaws doesn’t ply and due to this people suffer. According to me, it’s a complete nuisance for everybody. People who want to do Danga in the country get an opportunity by this.”
Roshni Vishwakarma
“I don’t support Bharat Bandh. There are many people who are completely dependent on their daily income and are just trying to manage for survival. In a country like India, twists and turns take place everyday and it is really commendable that people are raising their voice against what they feel is right and it’s a sign of democracy. But Bharat Bandh is not a solution as it is harmful for many people.”
Abhishek Rai
“I don’t support Bharat Bandh. And many people who are supporting Bharat Bandh just because they don’t want to get on the wrong side of urban naxals. We all have seen this first-hand example in JNU where students are trying to create chaos in the University just because they don’t want to get registered for their upcoming exams. Also, we saw the violence regarding the CAA and NRC. A complete no for Bharat Bandh.”
Vinod Patidar
“I don’t support Bharat Bandh, because of this bandh we daily wage workers suffer the most. And talking about the other people, then they have already got their salary. So it won’t affect them at all. Due to Bharat Bandh there is a slowdown in business.”
Aditya Iyer
“I do not support Bharat Bandh as these activities disrupt various other activities of the nation. Moreover conveyance and going to work or places becomes difficult as there are traffic jams. Most of the people try to stop and disrupt public transport. There, it becomes difficult for ambulances as well as school buses to drop the students’ home. These activities affect the economy of the nation as the gross output of the day is lost. I truly believe that bandhs like this are not a solution to any problem and such practices are just a waste of time.”
Ashesh Pandya
“It is very difficult question to answer which side you are. I would not like to take any side. This is not the right time for any kind of bandh in India the economy is on the downslide and everything is haywire. This kind of politics is absolutely a no no. I will not support bandh.”
Dilip Joshi
“I don’t know whether I should support Bharat Bandh or not but all I can say I am tired of the current government because of their work. I don’t quite understand the motive behind the strikes and if the government fails to fulfill the single demand of people then we will show them the true power of democracy.”
Saburi Vilankar
“Being the citizen, I would never support Bharat Bandh as it brings violence and safety issues along with it. Seeing all the current situation it’s good that Mumbai seldom witness bandh, even a single day counts for our economy and sabotage with it. This is my opinion and I think we all should think clearly and concisely.”
Chetan Kirdat
“Bharat Bandh in my point of view is choking your own country’s market for a day or more. Let me give you an example; on Wednesday I went to Kurla spare parts market to buy some parts for my bike. But the entire market was closed in support against CAA and NRC. As on every shop it was written, the shop will remain closed in support against CAA and NRC. Closure of shops would definitely affect the business. So, in the name of Bharat Bandh you are choking your own business. I don’t think bandh can be the right way to oppose.”
