The 26,000-crore Bharat bandh

The 26,000-crore Bharat bandh: 10 facts about Day 2

New Delhi:  The two-day Bharat bandh called by 11 major trade unions is costing the country about 26,000 crores, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Here are the 10 big facts about Day 2:

1. 71 people have been arrested for yesterday's rampage in Noida. 25 vehicles were set on fire and nearly 600 offices, some of them large factories, were attacked by a mob that also looted some buildings. Schools are closed today as a precaution.
2. In Gurgaon, also near Delhi, many multi-national companies are closed today. Union leaders in the area have promised that their strike will be peaceful.
3. In Delhi, public transport has been affected. Auto-rickshaws are tough to find, and the Delhi Metro is more crowded than usual. 
4. Bangalore: Schools and colleges are closed but the city's large conglomerate of IT companies are open.
5. Thiruvananthapuram: There's no public transport and shops are shut for the second day. The government has issued a no-work-no-pay warning for its employees, which has been largely ignored. Private offices are reporting thin attendance. Universities have cancelled examinations. Passengers arriving at the train station and airport are being given lifts in police vans. (Shutdown in Kerala for second day)
6. Kolkata: The city is giving the bandh a thumbs down. Taxis are plying and government offices and shops are open. Some factories are shut in the industrial belt. The Mamata Banerjee government is determined to defeat the strike and has warned government employees that they will lose pay if they miss work.
7. Lucknow: 9,000 government buses are not running.  Government-owned banks are closed. ATMs have run out of cash.
8. Parliamentarians from Left parties are not attending the first day of the budget session today in a show of support for trade unions.
9. 26 public sector banks have been closed for business since yesterday. Their 10 lakh employees are on strike. (Bank operations hit)
10. The 11 trade unions who have called the strike want better enforcement of labour laws and are unhappy with high prices and and inflation.