No impact of Bharat Bandh on normal life, rally hinders traffic

The Bharat Bandh call, given by trade unions and organisations against the move to privatise public sector enterprises and public services, failed to cast any impact in the city where markets, shopping malls, offices, schools and colleges and industrial units remained opened as usual. Except for clerks in banks, who held demonstrations, not much impact of the bandh call was witnessed.

However, till Tuesday evening, confusion prevailed among residents, if the bandh would affect their travel plans, etc. Ramanjit Kaur, a businesswoman who had to visit Uttar Pradesh for getting some work done, said before leaving on Wednesday, she enquired if highways and roads were not blocked.

“I called up many people here and in UP to ensure that there would be no hindrances during travelling. Had there been some issue, I would have postponed my trip,” she added.

Markets, malls, educational institutions remained opened as usual, with normal footfall.

Satjot Singh, a shopkeeper near AC Market, Bhadaur House, said there was no impact of the bandh call in the market and buyers were coming to make purchases even from other districts and states as it was a wholesale market of cloth.

Functioning of banks hit

While trade unions called for a bandh call on Wednesday with over 25 crores workers participating in the protest, working in public sector banks (PSBs) was also hit. Officers at banks were on duty while clerical staff held protest demonstrations against the Central Government’s “anti-employee” policies. Work was affected as staff dealing customers were taking part in the protest. Supplementing the struggle and responding to the joint call of the All India Bank Employees Association (ALBEA), AIBOA and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), a massive rally was organised by the Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation (PBEF), Ludhiana, in front of Canara Bank, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ludhiana. The rally was addressed by PR Mehta, vice-president, AIBEA, and general secretary, Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation, DP Maur, general secretary, Joint Trade Union Council, Ludhiana, Dr Rajinder Pal Singh Aulakh, senior trade union leader, Naresh Gaur, secretary PBEF, Pawan Thakur, president, Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation, Narkesar Rai, Parveen Aggarwal, Yuvraj Maria, Gurmeet Singh from AIBOA and other top leaders of the federation.

While addressing the rally, PR Mehta said: “We are concerned that continued economic policies of the Central Government was resulting in accumulation of huge wealth in the hands of the big corporates and industrialists in the country and at the same time, there is deprivation and marginalisation of the poor pushing more people below the poverty line. Though claims are that the country is growing fast, only rich individuals are progressing and the poor are suffering. More and more concessions are given to corporates and more tax burden is heaped on the common man.”

“It is a matter of major concern that in a country like India where a large number of the population is young, unemployment is swelling and educated youngsters were not getting jobs. Instead of creating more jobs, government policies are resulting in lesser workforce. Allocation for job generation has taken a nose-dive,” he said.

Naresh Gaur said the public sector in the country was the core of its growth and development. Now, it had become a target for disinvestment, privatisation and monetisation. “Even public sector banks and insurance companies, which deal with huge public savings, were now going to be privatised. PSBs deal with Rs 140 lakh crore deposits of people. Can we afford to hand over public savings to private corporates and capitalists,” he said.

Under the banner of the All India Insurance Employees’ Association (AIIEA), LIC employees of the Ludhiana division also observed strike on Wednesday. The LIC Pensioners’ Association and GIC Pensioners’ Association supported the strike.

Maan Singh, divisional secretary, NZIEA, said demands of employees include immediate recruitment in Class III & IV categories in the LIC, removal of GST on insurance premium, withdrawal of 100 per cent proposal of FDI in the insurance sector, scrapping of new pension scheme, restoration of old pension scheme and withdrawal of new labour codes.

Anganwadi workers in good numbers also took part in demonstrations in various areas of the city following the call for Bharat Bandh by trade unions against “wrong policies” of the Centre. Aanganwari workers, Karkhana Mazdur Union, Moulder and Steel Union and other bodies gathered to protest against the privatisation move of the government. Trade union leaders asked to pay minimum monthly packages of about Rs 26,000 and to provide them other benefits.

At the same time, commuters had to face difficult times as the protesters blocked roads in city for some time and held protest marches.

Ludhiana