House unites on bandh ban

Guwahati, Nov. 29: Prodded by public disenchantment with strikes, saddled with loss of mandays and crores of rupees and buoyed by the Opposition?s support, the Assam government today announced in the Assembly that it was considering a legislation to ban bandhs.

Parliamentary affairs minister Bharat Narah made Dispur?s intention clear during a discussion on a call attention motion in the Assembly today.

Dilip Kumar Saikia of the AGP said the state was not only suffering economically from bandhs, its image outside was also taking a beating.

Welcoming Saikia?s arguments to adopt a resolution banning bandhs and curtailing the list of holidays, Narah said the government shares his concern vis-?-vis bandhs. Dispur will publish a white paper based on the survey initiated by the statistics and economics department, he added.

?We, too, do not support bandhs. First, we will try to create awareness by appealing to the parties and organisations to desist from calling strikes and if that too fails, we will bring in a legislation,? he assured the House, which was almost unanimous in condemning the bandh culture.

Saikia, supported by Independent legislator Pramila Rani Brahma, referred to surveys saying, ?We lose anything between Rs 50 and Rs 100 crore a day because of bandhs, which are successful even if it is called by an unknown organisation. Of 365 days, the working days are around 165, too less to make any speedy progress. We should not only curb bandhs but also restrict holidays. Instead of work culture, we are promoting a bandh culture.?

Sharing Saikia?s concern, Brahma said, ?It is really shameful. Outside, the state is not known as Assam but bandh pradesh. The time has come to enact a tough legislation to curb this menace.?

The discussion in the House comes at a time when citizens from various walks of life have launched a signature campaign calling for an end to the bandh culture. According to an estimate, the state has lost 62 days to bandhs this year.

However, the unanimity ended there. The House erupted soon after news of police using teargas and lathi on high school teachers filtered in.

The teachers, demanding provincialisation of their respective institutions, were teargassed by the police for staging a demonstration near Ganesh Mandir.

The police also resorted to a lathicharge to disperse another group of protesting teachers at Last Gate, arming the AGP and the BJP with a reason to stage the first walkout of the Assembly session this afternoon.

The government will issue a statement on the alleged police high-handedness on the teachers, who later courted arrest.

The Assembly also adopted a resolution to move the Centre to ensure that the proposed Myanmar-Calcutta gas pipeline passes through Assam.