Trade Unions' Bharat bandh call derails trains, commuters hit hard

The Bharat Bandh call given by trade unions involving nearly 20 crore workers threw life out of gear on Tuesday in various parts of the country, leaving bus and rail services in total disarray.

Nearly half a dozen trains were cancelled, and 20 other trains were controlled en route, affecting the normal movement of various trains on different routes adversely. The impact of Bharat Bandh was largely felt in West Bengal, Odisha, and Karnataka.

The Bharat bandh call had been given by a consortium of 10 central trade unions, who also took part in 'Rail and Rasta Roko' protests to press for the fulfillment of their 12-point charter of demands including a minimum monthly salary of up to Rs 18,000, social security provisions, and others.

Among the trains which stood cancelled included Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar Intercity Express (UP and Down), Puri-Cuttack-Puri passenger train (UP and Down), Cuttack-Brahmapur-Cuttack passenger train (UP and Down), Cuttack-Bhadrak-Cuttack passenger (Up and Down), Brahmapur-Cuttack-Brahmapur Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU), Cuttack-Paradeep-Cuttack MEMU, Bhubaneswar-Brahmapur-Bhubaneswar passenger train from both the directions.

Among the trains that were partially cancelled included Palasa-Cuttack-Palasa passenger that will run between Palasa and Mancheswar and will remain cancelled between Mancheswar and Cuttack from both the directions, said an official statement of the Indian Railways. Puri-Gunupur-Puri passenger train will remain cancelled between Puri and Brahmapur and will run between Brahmapur and Gunupur from both the directions.

Nearly 20 trains were controlled en route. These were Chennai-Howrah Coromandal Express at Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express at Bhubaneswar, Puri-Howrah Shatabdi Express at Retanga and at Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Balangir InterCity at Bhubaneswar, Puri-LTT Express at Retanga, Puri-Paradeep/Barbil Intercity at Delanga, Visakhapatnam-Amritsar Hirakund Express at Khurda Road, and Hyderabad-Howrah East Coast Express at Khurda Road,

The other trains which were controlled en route included Nagercoil-Shalimar Express at Khurda Road , Mysore-Howrah Express at Khurda Road, Tirupati-Bhubaneswar Express at Rambha, Yesvantpur-Howrah Express at Brahmapur, Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express at Ichhapuram, Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Kharagpur Passenger at Bhadrak, Howrah-Puri Express at Mancheswar, Howrah-Chennai Mail at Bhubaneswar, Muzaffarpur-Yesvantpur Express at Mancheswar, Bokaro Steel City-Puri Garib Rath Express at Cuttack, Durg-Puri Express at Bhubaneswar, and Bikaner-Puri Express at Naraj.

In Kolkata, the impact of the protests was intense as the agitators took to streets, disrupting the movement of traffic. Earlier in the day, the police detained a couple of CPM workers for allegedly fanning violence in the region. Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) workers protested inside 'Maidan' metro station in support of the strike.

Similar scenes were visible in Bhubaneswar where protesters burnt tyres at a railway station as a mark of their protest.

In Karnataka, the protestors were seen walking with flags, banners, and placards through the streets, displaying their various demands and needs. In Hubli, trade union workers took to streets in support of the Bandh call.