Kolkata Police have been directed to ensure that no higher secondary examinee faces difficulty reaching their examination centres during a 24-hour industrial strike called by the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions, starting Thursday morning.

Over 6.35 lakh students will write their first HS paper on Thursday. The strike, called to protest against anti-farmer, anti-worker, and “pro-corporate” policies of the central government, will begin at 6am on Thursday and continue until 6am Friday.

Such strikes have been successfully managed by the Mamata Banerjee government on previous occasions.

Kolkata Police commissioner Supratim Sarkar issued an advisory across all 80 police stations in the city on Wednesday, instructing officers to ensure that normal life is not disrupted by the strike.

“Functioning of essential services including educational institutions, government offices, medical colleges and hospitals, industrial establishments, banks, financial institutions, public transport and utilities shall not be disrupted by strike supporters,” the top cop instructed.

All officers-in-charge and additional officers-in-charge have been asked to report to duty early to be on the roads from 5.30am.

“Special attention shall be given to the smooth conduct of Higher Secondary Examinations commencing tomorrow (Thursday). Adequate arrangements shall be made to ensure that students face no inconvenience in reaching examination centres,” the instructions added.

The police and traffic departments have also been tasked with ensuring free and uninterrupted movement of traffic.

“Any attempt to block roads, railways, metro or public thoroughfares shall be dealt with promptly,” an officer said, quoting the commissioner’s instructions.

State transport officials said that an adequate number of public transport vehicles will be available on the roads to avoid commuter harassment during the strike.

The state finance department issued an order on Wednesday mandating that all government employees report to work on Thursday.

Police stations have been instructed to ensure the protection of public and private property. “Any act of vandalism, arson or damage should be prevented,” the order stated.