By IANS,
Kolkata : Business activities in West Bengal have begun to be affected ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide strike called by 13 political parties, including the Left, against price rise and corruption, with some banks and companies deferring or cancelling their scheduled meetings.
“On account of proposed Bharat bandh call given by certain political parties, the SBI clerical interviews scheduled on April 27 for the candidates of West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Sikkim have been deferred,” said the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI).
“While for Andaman & Nicobar interviews will take place on April 28, for other places candidates are requested to approach the interview centre for revised date,” it said in a statement.
Similarly, city-based UCO Bank has deferred its annual meeting scheduled Monday.
“Yes, due to proposed Bharat bandh on April 27, it is postponed to April 29,” said the public sector bank’s chairman-cum-managing director S.K. Goel, when asked whether the meeting has been postponed because of the strike.
Strikes and shutdowns more often than not disrupt normal life in the state, especially when it is called by the ruling Left Front.
Also, Vesuvius India, a supplier of specialty ceramics and refractory, has cancelled its annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for Tuesday.
“We have cancelled the AGM as most of the shareholders cannot come for the meeting due to the strike,” a source in the company told IANS.
Two of the directors of the company’s board, who were scheduled to visit the country from Belgium, have cancelled their trips.