12 Trinamool workers arrested, Bandh partial and peaceful

Kolkata, Oct 9 (UNI) At least 12 party workers, including former MLA C M Jatua, were arrested, as the 12-hour statewide bandh called by Trinamool Congress began here today partially affecting normal life.

Official sources said no untoward incident had been reported so far fron any part of the state.

Police arrested former Trinamool Congress MLA C M Jatua in Howrah for obstructing movement, while eleven more Trinamool workers were arrested for squatting on railway track.

The bandh was called in protest against acquisition of agricultural land at Singur in Hooghly district for the Tata Motor's small car project. While a section of the Congress leadership is extending active support to this bandh, the Socialist Unity Centre of India(SUCI) and CPI-ML (Liberation) have given separate calls for observing the bandh on the same issue.

Most of the vehicles went off the road and shops and business establishments remained closed, while train services were severely affected following squatting on tracks by bandh supporters in many parts of the state.

However, with the government taking special measures normalcy prevailed in the information technology centre of Salt Lake city, where offices of reputed international IT companies were located.

Work also went uninterrupted in the Kolkata port and Haldia Industrial belt.

Trinamool supporters put up road blockades at several places of the city and elsewhere in the district to stop movement of vehicular traffic.

While Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee has vowed to make the bandh a success, the CPI(M) have described it as a move against the industrialisation in the state. The CPI(M) also asked its cadres to take the street for raising a fund for relief of flood affected people in the state.

UNI KDG AKM BA SY GC1030