Nationwide strike: Vehicular movement partially affected in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (IANS): Vehicular traffic was partially affected in several places of Odisha on Thursday as several central trade unions participated in the nationwide strike against the central government’s new farm and labour laws.

The members of various trade unions staged road blockade at different parts of the state including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur, Rayagada, and Gunupur.

They also picketed before several central government offices.

In Bhubaneswar, the vehicular movement came to halt as they staged roadblock road on the national highway near Acharya Vihar.

However, the emergency services have been excluded from the strike.

The Odisha unit of the Congress party has extended its support to the strike.

“We are peacefully protesting against the anti-farm law and labour law of the BJP government at Centre. We are trying to make the people aware about the laws that will hit them,” said Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik.

The protesters also demanded the Centre withdraw anti-worker labour codes and privatisation of the public sector including the financial sector.

Nationwide trade union strike near total in Kerala

The 24-hour nationwide trade union strike called on Thursday by the central trade unions barring the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) evoked a total response in Kerala.

The strike has been called to protest against various policies of the Central government.

The shops, markets, offices across Kerala were closed while the main roads were also empty, barring a few private vehicles plying.

The few who arrived at the various railway stations in the trains found themselves sitting at the stations as there were no three wheeler or taxi services.

Likewise the banks also remained non-functional.

The only activity that was witnessed in the state capital was when the official buses of the local ISRO unit here were lined up with the police security to carry the staff in a convoy.

Incidentally Thursday’s total shutdown is the first one since the nation went into lockdown mode in March, early this year.