By IANS,
Lucknow : Traders in parts of Uttar Pradesh downed their shutters Saturday to support Anna Hazare whose fast for a strong anti-corruption bill has entered the 12th day, officials said.
Under the banner of Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal (UPUVPM) – a state level traders’ union – shopkeepers kept their establishments closed.
“While traders in Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad and other major cities will keep their shops closed till 2 p.m., shopkeepers of Lakhimpur, Sitapur and Mainpuri will observe a daylong shutdown,” UPUVPM President S.B. Mishra told reporters here.
Shops and markets in various localities here, including Aliganj, Vikas Nagar, Jankipuram, Kalyanpur and Khurram Nagar, which normally start operations at 7 a.m., wore a deserted look following the symbolic protest being observed by the traders.
Some petrol pumps in the city also opened late.
“Most petrol pumps began functioning an hour later to express solidarity with Anna, who is fighting on behalf of all the citizens of the country who want to see a corruption-free India,” Uttar Pradesh Petroleum Traders’ Association (UPPTA) member B.N. Shukla told reporters.
Traders in Lucknow will also take out a procession in Hazare’s support.