Bandh peaceful but veggie supply, retail business down in Mumbai – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Bharat bandh in support of farmers passed off peacefully in Mumbai on Tuesday with normal life largely unaffected. Transport functioned smoothly with buses and taxis running. Banks and offices were open. Supply of fruits and vegetables was impacted though, as APMC markets that supply essentials to Mumbai observed the strike. And while most retail shops were open, they stayed shut in pockets such as the Shiv Sena strongholds of Dadar, Parel, Sewri and Lalbaug in Central Mumbai.
All five market yards at Navi Mumbai APMC were closed. This affected the supply of fruits and vegetables to the city and pushed up retail prices by at least 10%. While 231 trucks and tempos arrived at the APMC, they were not unloaded.
Though the bulk of retail shops were open, trade was down. “Although 90% shops were open, business was down 30-40% as most people stayed indoors,” said Viren Shah of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association. Shops were also closed in Matunga, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Thane’s Tembhi Naka, Chembur station, Navi Mumbai and the Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayander belts.
Traffic in the city was largely unaffected, except briefly during rallies on the Sion-Panvel Highway and Eastern Expressway. There was less traffic on the roads on account of people staying indoors.
Pan-Maharashtra, the effect was stronger. Around 10 lakh trucks were off the roads. The transporters industry in the state faced losses totalling Rs 300 crore, according to the All India Motor Transport Congress.
MSRTC operated over 10,000 bus services in the state but cancelled 8,000 due to protests.
While farmers and trade unions demonstrated across the state, 30,000 bank employees affiliated to Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation wore badges and joined protests. Political leaders from the ruling parties were also part of the protests. Congress ministers Ashok Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Nitin Raut and Sunil Kedar were part of a protest near Lal Bahadur Shastri statue near Regal.
Sikh groups came out in large numbers both in the city and the state, responding to calls from gurudwaras and Punjabi organisations to support the farmers’ cause. They held posters saying, “No Farmers No Food” and “Farmers Survival is Nation’s Survival”. Sikh groups gathered in Khar, Sion, Dadar and Navi Mumbai. “Our roots not just as a community but as a nation lie in farming,” said Gursewak Singh, who joined the protest in Sion. (With Sanjeev Devasia, Manoj Badgeri, Nishikant Karlekar, Bella Jaisinghani)