'Bandh' a hit and miss; city carries on

Thursday’s bandh called by NDA, Left parties, and SP to protest against the hike in diesel price, allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, and putting a cap on subsidised LPG evoked mixed response with protesters disrupting normal life in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh

The bandh had little impact on Mumbai. The APMC (agriculture produce market committee) in Vashi was completely shut though. This meant a Rs300 crore loss for farmers and traders, said Sanjay Pansare, APMC director.

About 7.5 million goods and passenger vehicles remained off the roads across the country, leading to a loss of around Rs2,500 crore. The All India Motor Transport Congress has asked the government to roll back the hike in diesel price within the next 30 days.

The estimated loss to the Indian economy is Rs12,500 crore according to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena extended its “moral support” but stayed away from enforcing the bandh in view of Ganeshotsav.

CII president Adi Godrej hoped that all political parties would ensure the much-needed economic reforms are carried out successfully.