Strike:WB ex-minister detained; functioning hit at tea gardens

Former West Bengal Urban Development minister Asok Bhattacharya was detained along with other CPI-M leaders today when they allegedly tried to enforce bandh at Hasmichak in Siliguri.
They were taken into detention when they went to enforce 12-hour general strike in North Bengal this morning, Police said.
A joint action committee of trade unions and Left Parties had called for the general strike to press their demand for wage revision for tea garden workers and measures against soaring prices of essential commodities.
The ongoing two-day strike in majority of the tea gardens which started yesterday across Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts have affected the functioning of the gardens.

Twenty-three trade unions under a common platform - United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) - had given the call for the tea garden strike which began yesterday.
The Trinamool Congress-led trade union INTTUC did not participate in the strike. Gorkha Jammukti Morcha, which took part in the tea garden strike, has not supported the strike for today.

The general strike has evoked a mixed response as life has been quite normal in Darjeeling district while normal life was affected in Jalpaiguri district of North Bengal.
Most of the schools and educational institutes in Jalpaiguri district were closed.
Roads were empty and markets were closed in Jalpaiguri town, according to police.