All steps to be taken to maintain normal life during tomorrow's Bengal bandh: Mamata Banerjee

NABADWIP: As West Bengal braces for a state-wide bandh tomorrow, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the state government would take all steps to ensure normal life and urged people not to support the bandh called by Left parties and BJP to protest against alleged malpractices and violence in the civic poll.

"I am saying with folded hands please do not support the bandh. There will be no bandh in Kolkata or in the districts," the chief minister said at a public meeting here.

"If there is any loss of property owing to the bandh tomorrow, the state government will give compensation," Banerjee said while asserting that the administration would ensure normal life in the state.

"A bandh will only mean loss of man-days and revenue for the cash-strapped state, which has been left with a huge debt by the previous Left Front government," Banerjee said while alleging that the BJP was indulging in political opportunism by calling a bandh.

"Those who have nothing to do are sitting in air- conditioned rooms and giving bandh calls, while the poor people suffer," she said about the Left Front's 12-hour state- wide bandh call along with the Left trade union bodies' nationwide transport strike call.

The BJP has also called a Bengal bandh tomorrow. While it had earlier announced a 12-hour bandh, the saffron party later reduced it to 10 hours, citing problems for spectators for tomorrow's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

She claimed that "while daily wage-earners have to go without food for loss of work, the leaders who call the bandhs have their meals in their cosy chambers."

State transport secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay said that all arrangements had been completed to see to it that normality prevailed in the state tomorrow after holding a meeting with transport operators in Kolkata during the day.

"A video conference was held with all district magistrates and SPs for ensuring proper security arrangements. State transport undertakings will operate services at full strength," he said.

"Arrangements have been made to bring transport staff to depots in the night and early morning," he said.

Private bus and taxi operators have also been asked to maintain normal services.