Archives for September 2018

As petrol prices on Monday shot up to Rs 89.97 in Maharashtra’s Parbhani – the highest in India – the Opposition Congress staged a ‘rail-roko’ agitation here as part of the party-sponsored nationwide shutdown to protest rising fuel prices.

Parbhani District Petrol Dealers Association (PDPDA) President Sanjay Deshmukh said that while petrol was nearly touching the psychological barrier of Rs 90 per litre, (Rs 89.97), diesel prices stood at Rs 77.92 on Monday.

Elsewhere in Maharashtra, petrol was Rs 88 and diesel at Rs 76, said All India Petrol Dealers Association (AIPDA) spokesperson Ali Daruwala, besides various local tax additions.

The all-India anti-fuel price hike shutdown got underway in different parts of Maharashtra with all parties, barring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, joining in wholeheartedly.

Maharashtra Congress President Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam led thousands of activists to stage a noisy protest outside the Andheri station bus depot, and later they got down on the railway tracks, shouting anti-government slogans.

Several leaders including former ministers Naseem Khan, Manikrao Thakre, Suresh Shetty, joined the agitation as police maintained strict security at Andheri.

However, suburban trains, BEST buses, schools and colleges functioned normally, though shops and commercial establishments downed shutters in many localities, including pockets where the opposition is influential.

Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists also led aggressive protests in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Pune, Nashik and others areas of the state.

As per preliminary reports, the shutdown has elicited mixed response in urban centres, but widespread support in the semi-urban and rural hinterland which have been badly hit by the spiraling fuel prices.

The shutdown has been supported by Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (S), RPI (G), Peasant and Workers Party, Left Parties, Swabhimani Shetkari Party, Peoples Republican Party.

(IANS)

A state-wide shutdown called by Kerala’s ruling Left and the Congress-led opposition to protest rising fuel prices, was observed on Monday.

While public vehicles remained off the roads in the state, private vehicles were seen plying in many places, while shops, markets and establishments remained shut.

“This is a protest against the wrong policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has also led to the rupee reaching record lows. Under Modi, the country has reached a low,” Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said while inaugurating his party’s protest in Kochi.

In Kollam, agitated Congress workers protested outside the Head Post office, demanding that it should be closed.

In the state capital, the IT campus at Technopark is functioning and the ISRO units are also working as normal.

There was a complete shutdown in Kasargode, the town that shares a border with Karnataka, as interstate buses kept off the roads.

While the Congress workers are out on the streets, the ruling Left supporters appear to maintain a low profile and have stressed that relief operations in flood-affected areas will go on unaffected.

(IANS)

A day-long Bharat Bandh or nationwide shutdown called by the Congress and Left parties to protest rising fuel prices evoked partial response in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Monday.

Bus services were affected since early morning in both the Telugu states. Many private educational institutions also remained closed.

Activists of the Congress and the Left parties launched a sit-in at the depots of state road transport corporations to prevent buses from plying on the roads.

Leaders of Congress, Left parties, Jana Sena and trade unions affiliated to them were arrested in Hyderabad and other towns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries Saleem Ahmed and Srinivasan Krishnan led the protests in Mahabubnagar and Karimnagar.

Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana is not supporting the shutdown call.

Though Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is also not officially supporting the shutdown, its activists in both the states joined the protests against rise in prices of petrol and diesel.

Raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the protestors took to streets, staging road blockades and organising rallies.

(IANS)

Normal life was unaffected in Tamil Nadu on Monday due to a nationwide strike called by the Congress and supported by other opposition parties to protest against the rise in oil prices.

Schools, colleges, offices — private, public and government — functioned as usual and public transport plied on the roads but in lesser numbers.

Suburban trains also operated as usual.

Shops remained closed in few places in the state including Nagercoil, Mannargudi, Tiruvarur, as per reports reaching here.

However, bus services to neighbouring Karnataka and Kerala states were affected. The buses operated only upto the Tamil Nadu border as the strike got good response in those two states.

(IANS)

Rail and road traffic was hit across Bihar on Monday due to a nationwide shutdown called by the Congress against the hike in fuel prices.

The shutdown is being supported by the opposition Rashtryia Janata Dal (RJD), Left Parties and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

Hundreds of Congress and other opposition parties leaders and workers took to the streets since early Monday in different parts of Bihar.

Over a dozen long route trains were halted at Patna, Gaya, Bhojpur, Jehanabad, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur railway stations.

At several places, the activists were seen burning tyres on roads to protest.

They also raised slogans against the Central government and Prime Minister Narendar Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Additional security have been deployed all across the state to maintain law and order.

However, no untoward incident was reported anywhere.