Maoist stir hits life in some West Bengal areas
By IANSThursday, July 1, 2010
KOLKATA - Normal life was paralysed in the tribal areas of three West Bengal districts Thursday - the second day of the Maoists’ shutdown in five states protesting against the central government’s disinvestment policy.
The tribal-dominated forested areas of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia - where Maoists are active - saw a total shutdown with no shops, schools and even government offices open.
“All the shops, schools, government offices and even the panchayat offices remained closed. No vehicle plied on the road,” West Midnapore’s Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said.
“From their harrowing experiences during past shutdowns, the public transport operators did not dare to ply their vehicles loaded with essential commodities on the national highways passing through the Maoist-dominated areas,” said a senior administrative officer of West Midnapore district.
In Bankura district, Sarenga, Barikul and Khatra areas close to forested West Midnapore district also felt the impact of the shutdown.
“Vehicle movement has been affected and even the people did not venture out of their houses,” said Bankura Police Superintendent Vishal Garg.
In Purulia, life was affected in Bandwan and Balarampur areas. Though public transport vehicles were plying, private buses, cars and trucks remained off the roads, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Yadav said.
However, save the tribal dominated areas, the shutdown call had no impact in the remaining part of the districts, police sources said.
The shutdown, called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist, also covers Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
The Maoists are protesting against the United Progressive Alliance government’s decision to disinvest 10 percent in the Coal India Limited and the Hindustan Copper Limited.
Apart from the five states, the Maoists have also called a shutdown in three districts of Maharashtra and two districts of Madhya Pradesh.
This is for the first time that the rebels exempted essential services including the railways, electricity, water, milk and vegetables, ambulances and newspapers from the purview of the shutdown.
