The information technology (IT) and ITeS sector in West Bengal took a beating on Monday as the combination of ?standstill? and bandhs called by various Opposition parties in protest against the alleged attacks by CPI(M) cadres at Nandigram brought the state to a standstill.
For the first time in many bandhs, companies at the Salt Lake and Rajarhat hubs decided not to risk the wrath of the demonstrators by using the protective shield of an ?essential service? granted by the state law.
IT majors said turnout was very low today, around 50% overall, because of the complete shutdown of public transport and the reluctance of car-pool owners to operate their fleets.
?One of the reasons is the transport system did not work today, but many companies like TCS functioned,? said Debanjan Datta, managing director and chief executive officer of Webel, the government organisation that manages IT infrastructure and facilities. Datta put the turnout at 45-50%. ?Perhaps the sensitive issue has forced many to stay back,? he said. The IT sector, including call centres, employs around 35,000.
While software major Wipro stopped working for a day, Tech Mahindra transferred its BPO work to its Noida centre.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, vice-president of Cognizant Technology Solutions, said only critical services remained operational at the Kolkata centre with an attendance between 25-30%. ?Those employees who could not come today will work on Saturday,? he added.
The Citu-controlled union for IT professionals, the Information Technology Services Association (ITSA), tried to play down the impact. According to ITSA general secretary Somnath Bhattacharjee, attendance was 90% at some companies. ?I can?t provide overall estimate. Our plan is to sustain our campaign on the Nandigram issue.?
