Mumbai unaffected by farmers’ bandh

The Maharashtra bandh called by a few farmers’ outfits on Monday to demand farm loan waiver received a good response in several parts of the state, but it did not affect Mumbai.

In several districts in Maharashtra, especially in the rural areas, agricultural markets and shops were shut, affecting day-today business. Farmers came on to the streets and highways in solidarity and staged protests.

The bandh — supported by Opposition parties and ruling BJP’s ally Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Paksh — largely impacted several parts of western Maharashtra, central Maharashtra (Marathwada) and a few districts in Vidarbha and Konkan regions. Mumbai was excluded from the agitation.

The supply of essentials such as vegetables, fruits and milk also remained normal in Mumbai .

At a few places, the citizens were inconvenienced in the morning owing to a shortage of vegetables and milk, but the situation improved by afternoon and there was sufficient stock by then. Rajesh Tiwari, a vegetable vendor from Lower Parel, said: “We got supply from afternoon onwards. The prices also started coming down. Tomato rates fell to ₹40 a kg from ₹100 during the peak of the strike last week, while cauliflower also came down to ₹60 a kg from ₹80 a kg.” Milk supply was slightly disrupted, but vendors then sold premium brands and hence exhausted the stock.

However, the protest may affect Mumbai’s supply of vegetables and fruits only if the agitation continues. Farmers’ groups that want to continue their agitations have come together and reconstituted their 21-member core committee to include prominent farmers’ leaders such as Raju Shetti, Raghunatdada Patil and legislator Bachchu Kadu.