Bandh evokes mixed response in Cuddalore district

The bandh did not affect the functioning of SIPCOT industrial estates in Cuddalore, say police

The bandh called by the PMK on Saturday in protest against the acquisition of lands by NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) for Mines II and expansion projects evoked a mixed response in Cuddalore district.

The PMK had called for bandh after the Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) started the process of acquiring lands for its projects in the villages of Valaiyamadevi, Karivetti, and surrounding places in the district on March 9.

Amid police protection, government buses were operated with full strength in the morning and private buses with 50% of the fleet strength. Shops and business establishments in Neyveli, Mandarakuppam, Bhuvanagiri and Sethiyathope were closed until afternoon. The bandh did not elicit a favourable response in Chidambaram, Panruti and Nellikuppam.

All main markets functioned as usual. Hotels, including wayside eateries, were open. The police arrested M. Arun Kumar, 30, town secretary of the PMK, for forcing an eatery in Annamalai Nagar to shut down.

Buses owned by private educational institutions operated. Private vehicles and auto rickshaws plied as usual. Government offices functioned normally. The bandh did not affect the functioning of SIPCOT industrial estates in Cuddalore, police said.

As a precautionary measure, the police arrested 252 PMK functionaries across the district. Over 7,000 police personnel were deployed across the district. Inspector General of Police (North Zone) N. Kannan supervised the security. Police said the bandh passed off peacefully. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.