Bharat bandh: public transport, banking services hit; 1 dead in clashes in Ambala

Transport is the first casualty of the strike in Delhi. Passengers arriving at the New Delhi railway station are stranded as government taxis and auto-rickshaws are either refusing to run or are overcharging - one passenger said he was asked to pay Rs. 2000 for an autorickshaw ride. Delhi Metro trains and government buses are running normally.

In Mumbai, banks will remain shut but government offices, businesses and transport services are expected to function. Disruptions are not expected at the Mumbai airport either as the airport union has decided not to participate in the strike. Trade union Hind Mazdoor Mahasangh has also declared it will not join the strike.

Flights are taking off as scheduled in Kolkata. But there is no bus service at the airport and fewer taxis on the roads.

The two-day strike may impact Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and parts of Uttar Pradesh significantly. Air travel at airports across the country could be crippled.

Assocham president Rajkumar Dhoot said banking, insurance and transport, and industrial production may take a hit. Even the agriculture sector would be affected as the movement of vegetables, a highly perishable item, would be disrupted.

The major unions participating in the strike are Bhartiya Mazdoor Sabha, INTUC, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), HMS, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC). Trade unionists say the strike by workers cuts across sectors and will bring defence production, postal services, banking, steel works and coal mines to a standstill.

The unions have put forward 10 demands, which mainly relate to checking of price rise, generation of employment, halting of disinvestment in public sector enterprises and implementation of labour laws.

The employees of the Reserve Bank of India have said they will participate in the two-day strike though the Finance Ministry has appealed to bank employees not to join in.

Public transport in Kerala could be affected as around 40,000 private buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws may stay off the roads. The busiest bus station at Thiruvananthapuram is deserted.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS announced its support to the two-day general strike. TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao appealed to the party cadres to make the strike a success.