Normal operations in Sector V

Kolkata, Oct 09 (UNI) West Bengal's IT hub--Sector V in Salt Lake-- operated normally today with 100 per cent attendance despite the Trinamool Congress sponsored 12-hour statewide bandh, IT Minister Debesh Das said.

Trinamool Congress called the bandh protesting against acquisition of farmland in Singur for Tata Motor's small car project.

"The bandh has failed to put its mark in Sector V," Mr Das said.

The state government has arranged for protection of the IT employees intending to attend office, Mr Das said.

Earlier, the state government had decided to do away with special car stickers for the IT sector and instead deployed a large posse of policemen to ensure smooth operations in Sector V during the bandh.

An additional superintendent of police had been specially put in charge of Sector V. A heavy radio flying squad with two sub-inspectors and one section of composite force would be assigned to ensure that no vehicle was stopped from entering Sector V.

The Left Front government was the first in the country to declare the IT and ITeS industry a ''public utility'', way back in 2003. The stickers had worked briefly.

Then, during the Left-sponsored all-India industrial bandh on September 29 last year, the Left Front government was embarassed when its trade union CITU ignored the stickers and disrupted the movement of IT and ITeS staff.

UNI TJP BA DB1155