The attendance in the industrial region of Asansol and Durgapur has remained normal today and there has been very little effect of the bandh, claimed state labour minister Moloy Ghatak today.
The bandh, called by the BJP, passed off peacefully baring a few stray incidents in West Burdwan district. A sub-inspector has suffered injuries in Ballavpur in Raniganj during scuffle with yuva morcha leaders.
Talking to The Statesman today, Moloy Ghatak, the MLA of Asansol North said that the attendance is cent per cent in Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) of SAIL, the largest industry in Durgapur sub-division.
“Similarly, the attendance is normal and productions in the coal mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) in Asansol and Durgapur sub-divisions. Attendance and productions are also normal in IISCO Steel Plant (ISP) of Sail in Burnpur, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) and the divisional railway manager’s (DRM) office, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) Divisional Office, banks in Asansol and Durgapur today,” added Moloy Ghatak.
The minister himself went to Durgapur today along with trade union leader Prabhat Chatterjee. Asansol Durgapur is the largest industrial belt of West Bengal. In the private sector too, attendance has been normal. In the industrial park of WBIDC at Panagarh, productions remained unaffected.
The bandh also had no impact in the operations of flights in Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Andal, the only privately operated airport in the state.
However, the bandh supporters and the police and TMC supporters clashed at Ushagram in Asansol, Raniganj, Jamuria and in Bhiringi and City Centre in Durgapur. A few local BJP leaders have been injured in the district. The TMC supporters chased away BJP MLA Lakshman Ghorui in Durgapur. BJP Yuva Morcha leaders in Ballavpur were beaten by anti-bandh supporters and were admitted to hospital in Raniganj with head injuries.