Mumbai/Nagpur, May 6 : The protest by traders against imposition of local bodies tax (LBT) escalated further today as retail markets also joined wholesale traders by going on a statewide strike, with trade coming to a standstill in Mumbai and other cities of Maharashtra.
Spearheaded by Federation of Associations of Maharashtra Traders, markets remained closed in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and other towns.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan called a meeting of traders to persuade them to accept LBT, but the meeting remained inconclusive.
Traders have been staging protests in Nagpur for the last 15 days and shops have been kept shut. The traders are demanding immediate withdrawal of LBT.
