This story is from September 11, 2018

Normal life paralysed in many districts

Normal life paralysed in many districts
bandh supporters burn tyres on Bypass Road in Patna on Monday
GAYA: The bandh on Monday brought city life to a near standstill as all private schools and business establishments remained closed. Though open, banks transacted nominal business. Private and public vehicles remained off the roads. Auto drivers’ union also supported the bandh called by the Congress and backed by almost all the non-NDA political parties against the rising prices of petroleum products and other economic issues.

Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce president Kaushalendra Pratap said it was left to the members to support or oppose the bandh. Claiming total success, district Congress president Chandrika Yadav claimed people instantly responded to the issues raised for the bandh call.
Haj coordinator Abdul Moqsit Karimi alias Motibhai said special buses carrying the haj pilgrims left the Gaya airport after 3pm under police escort as they were advised not to move before.
When contacted, Gaya DM Abhishek Singh said the bandh passed off peacefully and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district.
Ara: All the main roads were blocked by the bandh supporters. SHO of Koelwar police station Pankaj Kumar Saini said the bandh supporters blocked traffic on Koelwar bridge from 10.45am to 11.15am. Station master of Ara railway station, B K Pandey, said the bandh supporters stopped the Ara-Patna passenger train for 20 minutes. As a result, Vikramshila Express was also delayed. The bandh supporters also blocked Ara-Buxar road (NH-84), Sahar-Arwal bridge, Ara-Sasaram road, Ara-Mohania road, Ara-Barhara road Abar bridge and other arterial roads. While the private schools remained closed, marketplaces and roads wore a deserted look in Ara town. The Bhojpur Bus Association also organised a token strike against the rise in fuel prices.

Darbhanga: The bandh supporters forcibly stopped Patna bound Kamla-Ganga intercity at Laheriasarai and Delhi-bound Bihar Sampark Kranti superfast train at Darbhanga railway station for about an hour as vehicles remained off the roads causing inconvenience to the residents of the twin cities. The LNMU and KSDSU campuses wore a deserted look and educational institutions also remained closed. Most of the shops and business establishments kept their shutters down till late afternoon. According to reports, bandh also hit normal life in Biraul and Benipur subdivisions and patients’ turnout at OPD of DMCH was also very low. More than 2,000 patients turn up at OPD on weekdays but only 649 visited there on Monday. The opposition supporters enforced bandh at all the 18 block headquarters of the district. Manigachhi and Singhwara block headquarters were the worst affected. There were skirmishes between bandh supporters and villagers of Bharwara panchayat in Singhwara block.
Madhubani: The bandh impacted normal life as road and rail transports were disrupted and shops and business establishments downed their shutters as precautionary measures. While all public schools were closed for the day, works in central and state government offices, including banks, were largely affected. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.
Biharsharif: Business establishments and private schools remained closed in Nalanda district. Attendance of students in government schools and colleges was thin. Banks, post offices, government offices and even hospitals wore a deserted look. Shopkeepers at Rajgir, Islampur, Biharsharif, Giriak, Hilsa, Daniawan and Asthawan voluntarily downed their shutters. The Left supporters delayed the departure of Shramjeevi Express for nearly two hours. Vehicular traffic on Biharsharif-Bakhtiyarpur NH-30 remained paralysed as protesters blocked the road near Harnaut, the home turf of CM Nitish Kumar. Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on the highway for over four hours.
Nawada: The Monday bandh crippled normal life in the district. Unruly protesters did not allow petrol stations to operate and blocked traffic on most of the roads. The Town police had to resort to lathicharge to control an unruly mob of CPI(ML) workers and arrested 20 of them when they tried to gherao Nawada SP Hari Prasath S near the collectorate gate.
Aurangabad: Majority of market and business establishments, private schools and petrol pumps remained closed and protesters blocked all important roads, including NH-2 (GT Road) and Patna-Aurangabad NH-139. Thousands of vehicles were stranded for almost 8 hours. Buses and other public transport vehicles did not ply. Aurangabad MLA Aanand Shankar with his supporters blocked the GT Road. RJD leaders, including its district president Kauleshwar Yadav and state secretary Subodh Kumar Singh raised slogans against the Centre.
Samastipur: The bandh was total in Samastipur. Shops and private schools were closed. The bandh supporters led by RJD MLA Akhtarul Islam Sahin, Ajay Kumar of CPM, Prof Umesh Kumar and others blocked roads at Magardahi Ghat and railway overbridge. Patori and Rosera also observed total bandh.
Khagaria: There was little impact of bandh and traffic on NH-31 was normal. Bandh supporters were seen asking shopkeepers to down their shutters.
Sitamarhi: Business establishments, banks, offices, schools and colleges were either closed or registered very thin attendance. Vehicles were off the roads causing lots of hardships to daily commuters. Rail services were also hit on Samastipur-Narkatiaganj section. A few medicine shops were opened in the town. District Congress chief Vimal Shukla led the protests.
Bhagalpur: The bandh was peaceful in Bhagalpur and Banka districts. Whereas private schools had declared holiday in advance, the government schools and colleges besides offices and banks were forced to close. Shops and business establishments didn’t open fearing wrath of the agitators. Departure of Delhi-bound Vikramshila Express was delayed by ten minutes due to symbolic protests at the railway station.
Saharsa: Train services on Saharsa-Mansi and Saharsa-Purnia rail sections were badly affected. Shops and business establishments downed their shutters as the supporters of Congress, RJD, JAP-L and Left parties paraded on the thoroughfares of the town and its outskirts. Hatia-bound Koshi Express was detained at Koparia station for more than three hours as the bandh supporters squatted on the railway tracks. Saharsa-Patna Rajya Rani Express was detained at Saharsa Junction for two hours. Some other trains on Saharsa rail section were stranded at different stations in the morning.
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