Chandigarh: Hundreds of ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists Thursday blocked traffic on highways across Punjab following the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Left parties' calls for a nationwide shutdown to protest the recent petrol price hike.
Undeterred by the summer heat, protestors blocked Amritsar-Delhi National Highway No 1 (NH-1) near Amritsar. They also blocked the Punjab-Jammu national highway near Tanda town in Hoshiarpur district, 180 km from here.
Highways were also blocked in Bathinda and Jalandhar districts.
Markets across Punjab wore a deserted look at most places.
In neighbouring Haryana, the response to the strike call was a mixed one. Haryana is a Congress ruled state but opposition parties were trying to rally people to protest the petrol price hike.
In Chandigarh, BJP workers blocked the railway track near Vikas Nagar area.
IANS
First Published: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 11:49