Strike Day 2: Transactions worth Rs 1,600 crore affected
Friday, 22/02/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130222/punjab.htm#7
Chandigarh : Banking operations were hit across the state on the second day of the nationwide strike. According to an estimate, transactions worth Rs 1,600 crore were held up in various banks.
The PRTC and the Punjab Roadways, too, suffered a loss of about Rs 3.5 crore in two days. With ATMs running out of cash, people had to face inconvenience. The call for strike was given by various trade unions for a hike in wages.
“Our loan repayments were delayed due to the strike. Now, we will be asked to pay penal interest, which is not justified. Interest on loans for the strike period should not be charged,” said Badish Jindal, president, Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association, Ludhiana.
Parmod Sharma, general secretary, All India Bank Officers Federation, said officers and employees of public sector banks took part in the strike and there was no transaction in these banks for two days. In Ropar, members of trade unions staged a dharna on railway tracks delaying the Nangal Dam-Ambala train for an hour.
Similarly, buses of the PRTC and Punjab Roadways remained off the roads for the second day, leaving commuters in the lurch.
PRTC Managing Director DPS Kharbanda said: “The corporation suffered a loss of Rs 1.5 crore due to the strike. Since we don’t get any financial assistance from the government, the loss caused due to strike was big”.
Meanwhile, private bus and other passenger vehicle operators made the most of the strike. Almost all the private buses, taxis and three-wheelers were seen overloaded with commuters.
Reports of strike in banks and certain other sectors have also come from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Sangrur, Mansa, Moga, Barnala and Faridkot.
