NCP’s ‘Pune bandh’ receives partial response

The ‘Pune bandh’ called by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to condemn the attack on Union minister and party president, Sharad Pawar, received a partial response with shops remaining closed in the main market areas, low attendance in schools and colleges and thin traffic on the roads.

The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus service and autorickshaws continued with their service, and offices and commercial establishments continued with their daily business.

No incidents of violence or vandalism were reported in the city.
The shops on Laxmi Road, the main marketplace, remained closed as the NCP activists gathered in the area in the morning and requested the shop owners to cooperate. The usually buzzing peth areas saw less traffic on roads as the shops were shut. The shops in Ravivar Peth, Guruwar Peth and Nana Peth too were closed.

Shops on Satara Road too remained closed, though some multiplexes and cinema theatres were open.
In Koregaon Park, Kalyaninagar, Vimannagar and Bund Garden areas, the shops were shut and the traffic flow was less compared to other working days. The IT offices in these areas were open and citizens were seen enjoying walks on the otherwise busy roads.

The shops on Fergusson College Road and Jungli Maharaj Road too were shut. The restaurants and food joints permitted entry to customers from the back doors. Tea shops and medical shops were open. Citizens faced problem as NCP activists compelled many petrol pumps in Erandwane and Karve Road to close down the business for the day. People were seen making queues at the petrol pumps in Shivajinagar area, which were open. Most of the shops in Kothrud, Aundh, Sangvi and Bopodi areas participated in the bandh. It evoked good response in Pune Cantonment, Hadapsar and Wanavdi areas also.

Most of the schools and colleges were open, but witnessed low attendance as confusion prevailed about the bandh.

Senior inspector Prasad Hasabnis of Kondhwa police station told DNA, “The bandh was peaceful and no untoward incident was witnessed till afternoon. Commercial establishments were closed but traffic was normal in the area.” He said that heavy security arrangements were put in place.

Public relations officer of PMPML, Deepaksingh Pardeshi told DNA, “There was no official notice to observe bandh so we continued with our service.”

The police said that nine platoons of the state reserve police force (SRPF) and policemen have been deployed in various parts of the city.