today

Trade union leaders claimed that the strike call was "near total" and evoked a "spontaneous response" from the people. High value cheque clearing was the worst hit in Mumbai, but there was action all over India.

In the three Left-ruled states, there was a complete shutdown of industries, banks and financial institutions. Even shops, government offices, post offices and educational institutions were closed. Roads in Kolkata wore a deserted look through the day. Train services were also affected with Rajdhani Express from Howrah and Sealdah stations being rescheduled.

All airlines had earlier announced cancellation of their flights to and from Kolkata airport

The all-India strike called by CITU on Thursday is an industrial strike and has been called in order to protest against the TMC’s decision to stop the Tata’s from acquiring land in Singur for its Rs 1-lakh small-car project.