Bharat Bandh: Protests in full swing in West Bengal

Roads and rails were blocked in many parts of West Bengal on Wednesday as trade union activists along with Left and Congress supporters protested against the Centre's "anti-people" policies.

The strikers took out rallies in parts of the state and blocked roads and railway tracks in North 24 Parganas district. The local police removed them to ensure smooth vehicle movement.

In Kolkata transport was majorly unaffected, government buses, autos and other vehicles ran smoothly.

Tollygunge, Behala, Esplanade and Jadavpur witnessed heavy police deployment. In some areas of north Bengal, the Trinamool Congress took out rallies opposing the strike and urged people to maintain normalcy.

However, railways have been affected in the state: As many as 42 trains have been cancelled from Howrah.

Approximately 15 lakh power sector employees and engineers across the country went on strike on Wednesday to support the 'Bharat Bandh' call given by 10 central trade unions.

Power sector employees are protesting against the Centre's proposed amendments to the Electricity Act as well as other privatisation policies of the government, which they say are against the interest of the consumers and employees. "About 1.5 million power sector employees and engineers, including 25,000 in UP, are on the boycott/strike which is a success," Chairman of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), Shailendra Dubey told the media.