Mamata's Singur project halted by CITU

Kolkata, Dec 14 (UNI) Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today won a battle of sorts albeit via CITU's nationwide strike that brought work of the Tata small car project at Singur to a halt, among other things.

She entered the 11th day of her fasting today protesting the handing over of agricultural land to the Tatas at Singur in Hoogly district, 60 km from the city.

But what the prolonged and protracted battle failed to do, CPI(M)'s trade union wing CITU did. The Trinamool supremo remained silent throughout the day like the city that went dead in response to the strike call and Singur that answered in whispers.

The strike immobilised vehicles, trains, aeroplanes, launches and boats isolating the state from rest of the country, while no work was reported in government and private offices, factories, coal mines, ports and even in defence offices.

Shops and markets, educational institutions and commercial establishments also remained closed.

CITU activists allegedly stopped deflated tyres of vehicles that came on the road, stopped auto rickshaws, obstructed railway tracks and the metro rail movement in several places in repeat action that the state witnessed during the statewide bandhs on December one and five, called respectively by the Trinamool Congress and the SUCI-Naxal cobmine in protest against acquisition of farm land at Singur in Hooghly district.

However, while determined to go ahead with the small car project despite opposition uproar, the Government had made all arrangements to keep the life going and it was largely successful.

But in what may be described as an irony, the project was one among many to have taken the toll of the strike as the work for infrastructure in the site was halted today with the workers staying away from duty.

Local CPI (M) leadership said the agricultural workers, who were engaged in erecting electricity poles in the area, were not supposed to work as the the 16-point charter of demands placed by NPMO, that called the strike, included theirs also.

Mamata Banerjee had been sounding alerts to the governmnet, ''If the work at the Tata project was not stalled immediately we will enter a greater agitation.'' ''We will go into a 96-hour agitation starting December 15 and then go to delhi on December 20 in support of our demands,'' she said.

Her call has been answered, but in certainly another twist to the Singur drama.

UNI BA SJC AB RL BD2027