Citu, the trade union of the CPI(M), has called a day-long transport strike across the state on Saturday, protesting the hike in the prices of petro products. All public vehicles will be under the pur-view of the strike, excepting the private vehicles and the railways.
Citu state president Shyamal Chakraborty said, “We had apprehended this and so have were prepared to call a strike at the shortest notice. No public transport will hit the roads.” The public transport in purview of the strike include buses minibuses, taxis, auto rickshaws and trams. On being asked if the government buses and trams would ply on the roads, state transport minister Ranjit Kundu said, “How can I assure it, if the workers do not join their duties?”
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Partha Chatterjee said, “We are always against any hike in the prices of petro products due to its spiralling impact on the prices of other essential commodities. This hike should be withdrawn immediately.”
The Left Front, however, blamed the Trinamul Congress also for this hike.