Thursday, September 29 2005 11:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: The day-long strike called by Left wing trade unions as part of the nationwide stir against the economic reform policies began this morning (Sept 29, 2005) with the impact felt mostly in banks here.

Buses and private vehicles continued to ply as usual but autorikshaw services were hit. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which have Left controlled unions, were operating the buses.

No official holiday has been declared for schools, but several of them chose not to function today.

Some private airlines have either rescheduled or cancelled flights operating out of the city. Units under the Indian Air Force training command have been kept as a standby to ensure normal operations, airport sources said.

A section of the Karnataka Government Employees have also called for a strike today but the State Government has warned the employees against taking part in it, saying the Akhila Karnataka State Government Employees Federation, which has given the strike call, was not recognised by it.

Train services remained normal, Railway sources said. Essential services were also not affected by the strike.