Ten-hour Singur bandh, NH2 blocked

Singur, Oct 4 (UNI) Life was affected throughout Singur today following a ten-hour bandh called by the Hooghly district unit of the CPI(M) even as agitating groups of ''willing farmers'' blocked NH2 within a few hours of the Tata Group declaring to pull out the Nano car project last evening.

A mob of ''willing farmers'' and construction material suppliers for the small car project raised a blockade near Joymolla area on Durgapur Expressway by burning tyres and felling trees, disrupting traffic flow since 2100 hours last night.

Reports were also coming in of the agigators damaging parts of the highway by ploughing it. The entire stretch of the expressway near Tantipara village had been completely destroyed, cutting off the village from the rest of the state.

Meanwhile, the Hooghly district unit of the CPI(M) declared Singur bandh from 0600 hours to 1600 hours in protest against the ''Trinamool Congress's uncooperative attitude which compelled the Tatas to shift the Nano car project elsewhere''.

The entire area witnessed a total shutdown on the eve of Durga Puja with shops and business establishments downing shutters and people remaining indoors. Roads wore a deserted look with none of the familiar hustle and bustle of Puja shoppers and revellers.

Local CPI(M) MP Roopchand Pal said the party would organise a meeting and launch a rally in the evening to explain to the people how the ''negative politics of Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee was jeopardising the future of the state''.

''We will launch a campaign against Ms Banerjee to show how her stubbornness was responsible for this project with high potential moving out of West Bengal. This project could have transformed the economy of the entire region and provided employment to thousands of youths. Now all our hopes of progress and development have been dashed by the Opposition's adamant attitude,'' he said.

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