Several strikes throw life out of gear in Mumbai

As grade III and IV staffers at city hospitals struck work, a huge number of surgeries had to be rescheduled on Tuesday. At the JJ group of hospitals alone, over 200 surgeries had to be rescheduled.

Appendicitis patient Laxmibai was to be operated at the GT Hospital, but there were no nurses or ward boys. “The operation was conducted, and she was shifted to the ward by anaesthetists,” said a doctor. The OPDs at various hospitals received very few patients because of the strike.

“Doctors operated lifts, answered phone calls, and served food. Patients were not affected,” said Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ Hospital.

The autorickshaw strike disrupted commuters’ schedules. Maya Khanna, a housewife from Chembur, had to walk from her house near Diamond Garden to the railway station and could get a rickshaw only after 20 minutes.

There were assaults against drivers who refused to obey the strike diktat at several places, such as Santa Cruz, Andheri and Bandra. Union leader Sharad Rao blamed the assaults on Nitesh Rane’s Swabhiman Sanghatna. He said auto drivers stopped work to put pressure on the government to change inflationary policies.

Meru cab drivers have not resumed work as the transport department has not yet intervened.