Shutdown evokes good response in Punjab, partial in Haryana (2nd Lead)

Chandigarh, Jan 8 (IANS) The nationwide shutdown called by trade unions on Wednesday against the Centre's policies evoked a good response in Punjab as normal life was disrupted, but in Chandigarh and neighbouring Haryana, it was mixed.Rail traffic in Amritsar and Ludhiana cities was badly hit for several hours as farmers and members of labour organisations squatted on railway lines.There was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the states.The activists of several farmer associations were seen asking traders at several places in the Congress-ruled Punjab to keep their shops and business establishments closed to mark the pan-India protest.Reports of partial shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from Punjab's Patiala, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and other places.With some state-run roadways unions joining the strike, buses were off the roads in Punjab.In the Punjabi University in Patiala, some students and teachers joined the protest and did not allow others to enter the university campus.They also condemned the violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.In Chandigarh, shops were slowly opening in some sectors but banking and postal services were badly impacted.However, in neighbouring BJP-ruled Haryana, the impact of shutdown was mixed.A faction of Haryana Roadways joined the strike, barring a few places including Sirsa.Sufficient security arrangements were made in both the states to prevent any untoward incidents, said a senior police official here.
--IANS vg/vd