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GV Railway station
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SV TILT DOWN Blackboard announcing cancelled trains.
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SV Soldiers and civilians sitting on railway platform (3 shots)
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GV Stationary train on platform
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GV People walking on railway lines with trains in background
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GV Indian Airlines building
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SV's INT. People booking flights
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Initials AE/22.31 AE/22.39



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Train services throughout India were disrupted on Friday (3rd May), and Sunday (5th May), as millions of rail workers went on strike. The strikes followed the arrest of several thousand rail union officials.

In New delhi, essential services were maintained by troops guarding key installations, and the effects were felt mainly in provide business and market centres. Many offices and factories were forced to close on Friday when employees did not turn up. Tens of thousands of rail passengers were stranded at stations, and many airline flights were also delayed.

Communist and other groups originally called a general strike in New Delhi and other towns for Friday - to protest about food price increases. Another, smaller, strike affected services on Sunday.

The strike action escalated following the arrests on Thursday (2nd May), of the rail union officials. They were arrested at dawn - several hours before they were due to resume deadlocked pay negotiations.

Hopes of averting a nationwide rail strike on Wednesday (8th May) seem to have disappeared i the light of the arrests. The Indian Government has declared Wednesday's proposed strike illegal, and i seems bound to have a disastrous effect on the movement of food a and other essentials.