AITC,Cong put up road blocks: traffic thrown out of gear

Kolkata, Apr 30 (UNI) Movement of vehicular traffic was severely disrupted as Trinamool Congress and Congress supporters put up road blocks in different parts of West Bengal today in protest against yesterday's violence in Nandigram.

While Congress workers began the day with a road blockade in the city's Tollygunge area, a series of road blocks by the Trinamool Congress activists in different areas of Kolkata and districts led to dislocation of traffic.

Claiming that the party workers blocked important intersections in as many as 17 places of the city, Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, however, said the blockade was observed only for half-an-hour.

''Our party's decision was to organise road blocks for an hour, but considering that University exams were due on the day, we reduced the time to half-an-hour,'' he said.

Alleging that ''state-sponsored terrorism'' was going on in Nandigram, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee yesterday announced a number of agitational programmes, including road blockades.

The Congress also gave a separate call for road blockade.

At least one person was killed and ten were injured while one remained missing in the violence that erupted in Nandigram yesterday in a free exchange of bulletls and bombs between members of the Trinamool Congress-led Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee and CPI(M) supporters at Satangabari area under Nandigram police station and its adjoining villages.

Calling for an immediate central intervention, Ms Banerjee blamed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for the unabated violence while alleging that police and CPI(M) cadres were carrying out a sustained onslaught on Trinamool supporters.

However, in a counter allegation, the CPI(M) held the Trinamool Congress solely responsible for the continued violence and said the modus operandi of the party even after scrapping of the Nandigram SEZ was a proof of its design to keep the area unrest alive to meet its political interests.

UNI