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Bandh set to cripple normal life in Maharashtra

Priya Ganapati in Bombay

Bombay, the commercial capital of the country, and the rest of the Maharashtra seems set to come to a standstill on Wednesday thanks to the bandh call issued by labour unions in the state to protest against the Union government's economic reforms.

"We are protesting against the government's economic policies and the impact it will have on the common man," trade union leader Sharad Rao of the Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat, an umbrella organisation of several unions said.

Rao said that the Maharashtra Bandh on April 25 has been called to demand the scrapping of 'anti-labour', 'anti-farmer' and 'anti-people' economic policies of the central and state government.

Banks, offices, industries to be closed

Banks, offices, industries, commercial establishments are likely to be closed or operating on an extremely skeletal staff.

While no communiqué on the closure has been formally sent out, banks, offices and industries would most probably face a high degree of absenteeism thanks to an expected breakdown of the public transport system.

Trains, taxis, buses may not ply

The public transport system is likely to come to a complete standstill as taxis and auto rickshaws are actively supporting the bandh.

"The taxis will be off the road because we want to show solidarity with the agitating workers," A L Quadros, General Secretary, Bombay Taximen's Union said.

Quadros denied that the taxi-men are being a part of the bandh due to any pressure on them to participate in the strike.

"It is a spontaneous gesture on our part. Everything will be closed tomorrow. Ninety-nine per cent shops, rickshaws, BEST buses, factories will be closed. So, we do not want to run taxis either," he said.

But the city's bus transport system, BEST, seems to be in a defiant mood. BEST officials assured rediff.com that the organisation would deploy its entire fleet of 3,500 buses on Wednesday. "Our buses will run as per schedules. We have had iron grills put on the buses to prevent any untoward incidents and we hope to ensure that services will be as close to normal as possible," a public relations officer with BEST said.

However, he conceded that this could be possible only if the entire staff turned up and the ground situation on Wednesday is peaceful.

"While the staff has not given us any assurances, so far as the management is concerned we will try our best. But it all depends on the staff position and the protection that is given to us on the ground level," the officer said.

Railway officials too seemed to have adopted a similar stand. The wait and watch policy seems to have found favour here, too. While efforts would be made to run the services as normal it seems unlikely that they will succeed.

"We are keeping a very close watch and will respond to the situation as it arises. It is impossible to predict what will happen," Mukul Marwah, the Central Railway chief public relations officer said.

Bombay had come under severe criticism in February over being closed for nearly five days thanks to a spate of holidays coupled with the International Fleet Review.

While industry organisations then had protested strongly on the commercial losses due to the holidays, this time around most seem to be resigned to the strike directive.

"There is no use putting any figure to the losses due to the bandh. It cannot be tangibly done. The loss in terms of man-hours and money is just one part of the equation. What is important is that the entire commercial activity comes to a standstill," Zubin Kabraji, director, CII (Bombay) protested.

Kabraji is vociferous in his condemnation of the bandh. "It does not reflect well on the commercial capital of the country. If this is going to be the way things get done in the city it will send out wrong signals to potential investors. Here the personal agenda of a few people is affecting the 15 million odd inhabitants of the city," he said.

Almost all unions to support bandh

The bandh is likely to be total because unions representing workers in the public sector, banks, insurance and retail traders will join the strike.

A central bank spokeswoman has said that the bank was making efforts to ensure cheque-clearing operations functioned on Wednesday, but a firm decision will be taken only later in the day. Certain unions of central bank employees are participating in the strike.

The All India Bank Employees' Association general secretary Tarakeswar Chakraborty said in a statement that the employees of the entire financial sector had decided to participate in the strike against the Centre's policy of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation at the behest of the IMF, World Bank and the WTO.

"The strike will lend valuable support to the Balco workers' strike against privatisation and sell out of the company in a dubious deal," Chakraborty said.

Most political parties favour strike

A host of political parties -- from the Shiv Sena to the Left parties is supporting Wednesday's bandh. Only the ruling Congress-Democratic Front combine has not extended its support.

Business and normal life is likely to be crippled across the state during the one-day strike.

Transport in the city of more than 14 million people is expected to be severely hit but union officials said essential services such as the supply of water and milk and hospitals would not be affected.

Air traffic to be hit too

State-run Indian Airlines said some flights had been cancelled while others had been clubbed together.

"The union has directed the 9 p.m. shift workers not to report for work today (Tuesday)," a spokesman of Indian Airlines said.

"We hope to operate 24 domestic flights tomorrow against the normal daily average of 40."

Banks, insurance workers join stir

Unions representing workers in the public sector, banks, insurance and retail traders are also expected to join.

A central bank spokeswoman said the bank was making efforts to ensure cheque clearing operations functioned on Wednesday, but a firm decision will be taken later in the day.

Some unions of central bank employees are also participating in the strike, she said.

Exams postponed

University examinations, previously scheduled for April 25, have now been postponed to a different date. The dates will soon be notified to the examinees.

Protesting against economic policies

The striking unions plan to highlight the impact on the common man from the Union government's policies on globalisation, privatisation and the throwing open of the economy, particularly the effect on the farm sector, Rao said.

India began an ambitious programme of economic reforms in 1991, aimed at transforming the world's second most populated country into an economic powerhouse.

But some politicians and labour leaders say the reforms have widened the rich-poor divide in the country and have not benefited the vast majority of the population, where millions live on less than a dollar a day.

"A lot of injustice is done to the working class," Shiv Sena party chief Bal Thackeray said in his party mouthpiece Saamna on Tuesday.

"For whom are the labour laws framed?" asked Thackeray.

Labour leaders are worried recent proposals by Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha to allow more flexibility to businessmen will result in large-scale retrenchments and leave labour at the mercy of managements.

Additional inputs: Reuters, PTI, UNI

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