By SUNIL Sonkar

September 7 — A nationwide bandh has been called by trade unions for 24 hours Tuesday to protest against price rise, proper implementation of labour laws and streamlining of the rationing system.

About 6 crore workers are participating in the strike under the banner of nine trade unions. The issues raised by the trade unions are disinvestment of public sector, entry of foreign capital in retail market and retrenchment.

CPI MP and general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Gurudas Dasgupta said, “Nearly six crore workers will participate in the strike across the country. Those employed in private sector will also join the strike in many places.”

The strike is expected to have maximum impact in Kolkata. Flights to and from Kolkata have been cancelled. Twenty-nine flights of Kingfisher have been cancelled, including one international. Jet Airways and JetLite have cancelled seventy flights.

The two flights cancelled to and from Mumbai, New Delhi, Bagdogra, Silchar, Aizwal, Agartala, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar, Patna, Guwahati, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Imphal, Bangalore and Port Blair.

Jet cancelled their Bangkok flight and Kingfisher their flight to Dhaka.

The banking services may also get affected as many nationalised banks are also joining the strike like the PNB, Oriental Bank of Coomerce, Vijaya Bank.