Bandh costs India Rs 13,000 crore in losses

m.today

New Delhi, Jul 6: The 12-hour Bharat Bandh called for by the Opposition to protest against spiralling prices costed the country a loss of an estimated Rs 13,000 crore.

The Bandh which was effected by the Opposition parties across the country on Monday, Jul 5, has accounted for a loss of Rs 13,000 crore, according to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).


However, the Confederation of Indian Industries pegged the loss at Rs 3,000 crore, which experts feel is an understatement.

Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka were among those states which were badly affected by the bandh. While railways, road transport and aviation services took a hit in several states, public properties were at the receiving end of Opposition workers’ anger.

While Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena workers went on a rampage in Maharashtra, the IT industry in Karnataka took a hit as the BJP-ruled government made sure that the call for bandh was fully respected.

TV Mohandas Pai, HR head, Infosys Technologies
told a newspaper that the IT giant lost close to Rs 50 crore as they were forced to shut down operations on Monday, Jul 5.

“We took a decision to shut down our operation because the government withdrew public transport. The government, by its action, created a sense of fear and threat of violence in the streets. It’s a big shame that the city had to be close down… We (Infosys) stand to lose close to Rs 50 crore," he told DNA.

The same amount was quoted by Girish Paranjpe, joint CEO (IT business) and executive director on the board of Wipro Ltd, who also added that the company will recover it by working on an alternate day.

As expected, the non-UPA ruled states were the worst hit. While the Opposition parties are feeling triumphant now, the common man and the the industrial giants are fuming.