The Bharat Bandh, organised against the ‘anti-farmer’, ‘anti-labour’ policies of the Centre and against the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), was partial and peaceful in the city and district on Friday. The roads wore a deserted look with the withdrawal of RTC buses and closure of schools and colleges.
Though most shops remained shut in the morning, by noon many shops opened and auto rickshaws were out on the roads, ferrying commuters. RTC buses were confined to the depots till 1 p.m. Bank branches remained shut in some areas but government offices functioned normally. Some cinema theatres screened films as usual from the morning show, while some others screened from 12.30 p.m. But there was not much rush, perhaps, due to the bandh. “Some bank branches were closed as the protesters forced their closure in some areas,” said an official.
The main roads in the city wore a deserted look in the morning as public transport was withdrawn and schools and educational institutions declared a holiday.
Autorickshaw drivers unions staged protests demanding rollback of the steep hike in the prices of petrol and diesel.
The Left parties and trade unions stopped the traffic on the National Highway at Maddilapalem for about an hour in the morning. Representatives of trade unions, NGOs, journalist unions and all political parties, except the BJP, participated in the protests organised at different places in the city.
The employees of the VSP, who have been staging protests and relay hunger strikes at the steel plant gate near Kurmannapalem junction, expressed their solidarity with the bandh.
A trade union leader recalled that 16,500 families had given their farm lands for establishment of the VSP but only 8,500 were given rehabilitation cards. Justice was not done to this day to many of those who had sacrificed their farm lands for the steel plant, he said. The protesters held banners against privatisation and raised slogans saying ‘Visakha Ukku – Andhrula Hakku’.
Meanwhile, tourist places remained shut in the Agency areas of the district in view of the bandh. “The Borra Caves was closed till the afternoon but the tourist hotels were open,” Tourism Divisional Manager Prasada Reddy told The Hindu on Friday evening.
Protests were held at different junctions in the industrial areas at Gajuwaka and Kurmannapalem.
Many shops on the main roads remained closed till the evening as they participated voluntarily in the bandh.
Meanwhile, Thota Suresh, who undertook a padayatra from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam against the privatisation of VSP, reached Kurmannapalem on Friday. He visited the relay hunger camp of VSP employees and expressed solidarity with them.
The Gajuwaka Bar Association extended support to the bandh and participated in the protest by VSP employees for sometime to express solidarity.
The VSP employees, however, reported to their shift duties and participated in the strike after completing their shift, to prevent production from being affected, according to sources.
The police personnel kept a vigil to prevent the situation from going out of control. There were, however, no arrests with the ruling YSR Congress Party government also supporting the bandh.