“We are turning the clock back.”

• On Bandh Day on August 20, the image of 11-year-old Supon Biswas, who had a brain surgery three months ago, and was stranded at the Howrah Station for five hours with his relatives played out across the state. Similar was the plight of Panchanan Biswas, a villager from Birbhum who had to take his son for a crucial follow-up medical check-up to Bangalore. Their images that day forced CPM leaders to arrange for shifting the patients to Howrah General Hospital. A couple came to the family’s help, having arranged for their air fare to Bangalore the next morning.

• The June 5 bandh by the Left against the oil price hike — and the Trinamool bandh the next day on the same issue — meant that Ritter Wolfgang, an automation expert from German firm Schuler, was stranded at the airport. It didn’t help matters that Wolfgang was to visit the Jamshedpur Tata Motors headquarters in connection with the Nano’s production line. He had to abandon his plan and fly out of Kolkata.

• Nothing gets affected more seriously than the I-T sector, Bhattacharjee’s showpiece. This sector witnessed an investment of over Rs 800 crore and a 48% growth rate in exports over the last three years. As many as 250 companies operate out of Kolkata employing about 45,000 professionals. Many of these are 24X7 service providers with global clients. The gross value of export under Software Technology Park has already exceeded Rs 3600 crore during 2007-8 as against Rs 2160 crore in 2005-06. While this sector was earlier insulated from bandhs, it’s getting difficult to do so now. On August 20, many of these companies were severely affected with staff not being able to reach.

... contd.