30th June, 2008 : Bandh saga continues in Kashmir

Jammu-based parties like the BJP and the Panthers party have opposed the decision of state government of taking over the task of conducting the Amarnath yatra from the shrine board and so what is the logical conclusion?? A Bandh.

30th June, 2008 : You dont need a reason to strike in Kerala

Even a small hamlet's co-operative bank's election can lead to protests and subsequently a hartal in one of the most prosperous districts of Kerala cannot be fathomed by many outside the state. But as far as the people of Kottayam is concerned, they gleefully obeyed to a hartal by UDF protesting against the violence during the elections to the Kattappana Service Cooperative Bank. Now this may not be the end of road as parties have got a good excuse to extend this hartal further. Hail Kerala

28th June, 2008 : Even Goa is not spared of a Bandh

Several Hindu organisations led by BJP observed a bandh in Margao protesting against a sporadic attack. Now the tourist centre made little impact as roads were not as deserted as you see in Kerala. Kudos to tourists who never knew there was a call.

27th June, 2008 : Hartal is here again in Kerala

All because of a small book. The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the BJP to protest "attack'' on its youth wing workers allegedly by DYFI activists - yes you guessed it right - hit normal life in the state capital and suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram. Given the culture Kerala follows, the shops remained closed in the city, buses kept off the road and schools and colleges went without classes.

27th June, 2008 Bandh in East Khasi Hills over power deal

This band seems to be sensible. Angry over the delay in scrapping the power deal with private companies, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) has announced a 12-hour bandh in East Khasi Hills district from 5am on June 27.It is alleged that despite several reminders, the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government remained non-committal on the issue of cancelling the power deal with the private companies.According to the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed at the end of last year, the state government has entered into a joint venture mode to develop power projects with six power companies. They are the Jaypee Group, Dharampal Satyapal Group, ETA Star Infrastructure Limited, Athena Project Private Limited, Seven Sisters Energy Limited and SEW Energy Limited. However, the NGOs in the state had pointed out that the state government did not go through the mandatory international competitive bidding before finalising the deal.

Profit & Loss Account - Kerala

The New Indian Express reports that a whopping Rs 264 crore is the loss that the KSRTC has suffered because of the hartals in the past two years.According to the figures presented in the Assembly, KSRTC buses had to remain in depots for 88 days owing to hartals. Not plying for a day means a loss of Rs 2.60 crore daily.But if you count the day previous to the hartal and the day that follows (a one-day hartal usually affects the services for a total of three days), this loss can be compounded as Rs 3 crore. True, languishing in the depots save diesel for the the KSRTC fleet, but that too would be a total of only Rs 50 lakh a day.

26th June, 2008 : VHP Wants Army Rule but only in Kashmir

Various right wing Hindu organizations have called for Jammu Bandh Thursday in protest against the ongoing agitation in Kashmir valley against the diversion of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has given the Jammu bandh call while other affiliated organizations, Bajrang Dal, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have supported the bandh call.The demand is that since situation in the valley is volatile and Army should be given the charge.

26th June, 2008 - Now is the turn of Kashmir to hartal

The special committee nominated by the Hurriyat factions on the Shrine Board land transfer issue called for a one-hour Kashmir bandh on Thursday, 26th June, 2008 and three days of protests against the government move. Former High Court Bar Association president, Mian Abdul Qayoom, who heads the “Action Committee,” told a press conference here today that the government was playing politics with the Shrine Board issue and misleading the public by issuing contradictory statements.
He expressed surprise that the same people who facilitated the forest land transfer to the Shrine Board were now lamenting over the decision.
Holding the National Conference, the PDP, the Congress and other pro-India groups directly responsible for the decision, Qayoom said that all of them had played a collective role in handing over the land to the Shrine Board.

23rd June 2008 : HC's yet another salvo on hartals

A common knowledge but it takes courts and other organisation to make the people of Kerala realise in what folly they are in. Read the IE report below:

The Kerala High Court on Monday observed that the Kerala Government should take stern action to face the frequent hartals in the state.

In an oral observation, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice A K Basheer expressed displeasure at the attitude of the government in not giving “due regard” to the court orders.

Considering a contempt petition filed by ‘The Proper Channel’, the court observed that the state government should intensify its actions against hartals. The court expressed displeasure on the affidavit given by the Kerala Government regarding the issue. Steps taken by the government are not sufficient enough, the court observed.

The Kerala High Court said that government should take stern action so that the public will have the confidence to go to streets and open shops without fear on hartal days. Government should give protection to the life and property of the people.

After the High Court order on hartals, there were 32 hartals in the state. The court takes this matter seriously, they said.

On hartal days, even the High Court registers only 30 percent attendance. Therefore, what will be the situation in other offices? the court asked. Earlier, the court had issued directions including calling paramilitary forces to combat the hartal violence.

The state government had in its affidavit stated that the people enjoy hartals. Explaining the government stand, Advocate- General C P Sudhakara Prasad said that examinations which were scheduled on hartal days were postponed “only to avoid unnecessary problems.” The State Government will take all actions to maintain peace, he said.

It was on June 19, 2008 that ‘The Proper Channel’ submitted another affidavit stating that the government was challenging the court through its affidavit. The government had violated all the nine directions given by the court regarding hartals. Some of the facts given in the government affidavit are misleading, they said.

“The State Government had been trying to say that court’s intervention in this matter was unnecessary. But we said that such an affidavit was a challenge to the court. By failing to obey the nine directions issued by the court, the Kerala Government had committed contempt of court,” said M K Haridas of Proper Channel. The case will be taken up for consideration after a month.

20th June, 2008 - Yet another hartal in Kerala

A dawn to dusk hartal called by the UDF in Trichur in protest against(yes you guessed it right) the police lathicharge on KSU activists and T N Pratapan MLA was again godsend for the people of the region as shops, educational institutions and other establishments remained closed, private buses remained off the road and government offices had only a thin attendance. The hartal was marked by minor incidents of stone-throwing, forced closure of banks and other establishments, in various parts of the district. Well done as the state is now very near to record books

19th June 2008 - Jharkand celebrates a Naxal bandh

Activists of the People's Liberation Front of India blew up a railway track near Pokla station here during the day-long bandh called by the outfit in Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh to protest police action against naxalites.The activists of the banned extremist outfit used explosives to blow up the track around 3 am, Gumla Superintendent of Police Baljeet said.Five rear wagons were derailed as the activists triggered the blast when the goods train was moving slowly, he said, adding train services between Ranchi and Rourkela were disrupted following the damage to the tracks.The PLFI is observing the bandh in the four states to protest against "corruption, increasing price rise and action against naxalites".

18th June 2008 - Gorkha hartal continues

The indefinite hartal call by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, spearheading the movement for a separate Gorkhaland state continues unabated and they are hoping that the state government and central government will heed to their request by force. But leaders of both Congress and Left ruling Central and state goverments respectively are busy saving a government fall.

17th June, 2008 - Armoor in bandh grip

A bandh called for by the all-party committee in Armoor sub-division in Andhra Pradesh was peaceful and total. The band was called to protest AP Seeds Development Corporation not budging to the farmers’ demand for purchase of red jowar at Rs. 1,540 a quintal. Officials led by APSDC Managing Director Arif Mohammad made it clear that they could not afford to pay more than Rs.1,200 a quintal and they came forward to purchase the red jowar only out of “sympathy” for the farmers. Moreover, the red jowar was not a notified seed, they told the farmers’ leaders.

16th June, 2008 - Indefinite bandh at Nambol, Imphal

The All Nambol United Clubs Organisation declared an indefinite Nambol bandh from midnight of 15th June, 2008 after a long wait for the Manipur government’s response to the demand to speed up development activities at Nambol in Bishnupur district. A bandh at Nambol, a sub-division of Bishnupur district, would mean snapping of road communication between Imphal and Bishnupur as well as Churachandpur districts. In a statement issued today, the secretary of the organisation, Th. Jayenta Singh, said it has decided to impose the indefinite bandh after the Okram Ibobi Singh government failed to respond to the demand to speed up development activities. The demands include strengthening the embankments and construction of retaining walls on the Nambol riverbank before the monsoon, inauguration of the Nambol community health centre, opening of a fire sub-station at Nambol bazar, completion of Khoriphaba water supply scheme and improvement of two district roads, Komkeirap-Chingmang Road and Kangmong-Nambol Mangjing Road.

16th June, 2008 - Chotanagpur to have a hartal

The Maoists have called for a 24-hour bandh in the districts of Jharkhand's North Chotanagpur region on 16th June in protest against the killing of four cadres in an encounter in Hazaribag last month. Police found maoist posters calling the bandh in the Chotanagpur region which covers the districts like Koderma, Giridih, Hazaribag and Bokaro, police said.

16th June, 2008 - Gorkhaland issue to paralyse East India

Though the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, spearheading the movement for a separate Gorkhaland state said it was ready for tripartite talks with the Centre and West Bengal government even as it braced to enforce an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling hill since the government is in no mood to relent

15th June, 2008 Tufanganj bandh by Trinamool

People change but cultures never change. So the band culture in West Bengal continues unabated. The Trinamul Congress sponsored bandh at Deocharai gram panchayat area in Tufanganj passed off peacefully. The bandh was called to protest against the alleged murder of a Trinamul Congress supporter. A large contingent of police along with BSF jawans were deployed in the area to maintain law and order during the bandh. Section 144 of the CrPC was promulgated in the area. It has not been withdrawn yet.

14th June, 2008 - Bandh in Darjeeling resumes

The indefinite bandh called by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to demand a separate State comprising the Darjeeling hills and certain contiguous areas resumes today after a 60 hour relaxation. Let's see if the statehood materializes.

13th June, 2008 - Raichur shuts down for farmers death

Life in Sindhanur town of Raichur district was paralysed following a bandh observed in response to call given by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), Left parties and other pro-farmer organisations in protest against the death of a farmer in police firing in Haveri on Tuesday. The bandh was total and peaceful.The North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation withdrew its services on account of the bandh. Activists of the taluk unit of the KRRS, Hasiru Sene, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), staged dharna at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle in Sindhanur town blocking the movement of vehicles. They demanded that the Government pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the farmer who was killed in the police firing and Rs 5 lakh to each of those who were injured in the lathi-charge in Haveri.

13th June, 2008 - Compensate hartal 'ordeal'

This is a PTI story. Now there is a front against hartals fighting against 'frequent' hartals in Kerala, the 'Hartal Viruddha Munnani' has decided to seek legal intervention to help the aggrieved parties get compensation against financial losses and other ordeals during such 'sponsored protests calls.' The establishments and people who suffer heavy losses and damages during the frequent hartals on various pretexts should join hands to gather maximum evidence and help the anti-hartal front to produce it before court in availing maximum compensation from the political outfits responsible for such protest calls, Munnani State Secretary K Chandrababu said. The evidences on the losses and hardships faced by people and other establishments during the frequent hartals would be produced before an appropriate court to help the aggrieved parties get adequate compensation, he said in a release.

The concerned parties could sent the gathered evidence to the Kochi-based office of the Front, he said.The ruling CPI (M) led Left Democratic Front and BJP have called for statewide hartals today seeking immediate rollback of +steep+ hike in prices of petroleum products and the protest has affected normal life in Kerala.Kerala had been witnessing regional and district hartals called by political outfits for long and such protests appeared to have been getting 'overwhelming' responses with people in general seeming to have learnt to take things in their stride during such protests.

Now we have to see whether this front calls for a hartal protesting against frequent hartals.

12th June, 2008 - Now even Bandh has relaxation hours

You have heard of curfew relaxation so that people can buy their daily groceries. Now comes bandh relaxation. Tourists can leave Darjeeling as the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) announced a 60-hour relaxation of the bandh effective from 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Good luck to this holiday spot. Reports say there was little impact in the Siliguri, Dooars and Terai regions in the plains of north Bengal.

11th June, 2008 - Darjeeling Bandh continues

On Wednesday, the second consecutive day of the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Darjeeling straded the tourists as they started fleeing.Dont know what the morcha will do once they are given statehood. Now even areas with less than 5000 population are asking for statehood as if they are going to attain heaven.The morcha supporters are forcefully restricting the movement of transport. The bandh supporters have forcibly closed all hotels and restaurants.

10th June, 2008- Why should Bihar be left behind

If not in development we should catch them in at least hartals. This seems to be the mantra for CPI, CPM, CPML, Forward Block, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Krantikari Manch and RSP Front who have called for a 12 hour bandh in Bihar. The reason? To pressurise the Central government to roll back the petroleum price hike and rein in skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

10th June, 2008- It's Jharkhand's turn

BJP has joined hands with the Left parties in observing a daylong Jharkhand bandh tomorrow to mark its protest against petroleum price hike. However, BJP will cut short its bandh by three hours which will not make any difference since the CPM will observe a daylong bandh. Bandhs have become matinee shows now.

9th June, 2008 - Assam gets the punch

Fuel hike is making a serial killer affect as 9th June is the turn of Assam where normal life was paralysed following a 12-hour bandh called by the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP and Left parties to protest against hike in fuel and LPG prices. All schools, colleges and educational institutions, shops, business establishments, commercial and financial institutions remained closed, while vehicles, both private and public, remained off the roads.

9th June, 2008 - Darjeeling is closed

It is the turn of Darjeeling now. The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is demanding the creation of a separate State comprising the Darjeeling Hills and certain areas and has called for aa 24-hour bandh in the hill areas of West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Monday. So Which place next?

7th June, 2008 - Tamil Nadu have it but with less impact

A daylong general strike by Left parties in Tamil Nadu on Saturday again protesting fuel price hike in protest against price hike in petroleum products did not paralyse the state of Tamil Nadu. Buses and trains operated as usual and according to police no major untoward incident was reported.

6th June, 2008 - Kolkata down again

Immediately after a Left sponsored hartal, the competition has just hotted up. In a one upmanship and not to be left behind, the Trinamul Congress has called for a 12 hour hartal in Kolkata. Damn it again

5th June, 2008 - West Bengal, Tripura & Kerala damned

Because of fuel hike that the government has imposed, the Left parties have called a hartal in Tripura, Kerala and West Bengal today. Ironically, Left is the supporter of the government which hiked the prices.