Chandigarh, Sep 20 (IANS): The nationwide shutdown call by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and left parties evoked mixed response in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Thursday.

Shiv Sena members were on the streets, forcing shops to down shutters in Amritsar city. Shops in several areas of the Sikh holy city remained shut.

Reports of partial shutdown of shops and other establishments were received from Patiala, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and other places.

With the private bus transporters joining the nationwide strike against the hike in diesel prices, most of the private buses were off roads in Punjab.

The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in Punjab has supported the shutdown call.

In Chandigarh, shops were slowly opening in some sectors Thursday morning.

Several schools and offices had announced a holiday Thursday in wake of the shutdown call.

In Haryana, opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) workers stopped a local train in Gharaunda town, 130 km from here.

The Palwal Express train was stopped by BJP workers in Faridabad city, adjoining Delhi.