Date:21/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/21/stories/2008082151640100.htm

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Strike paralyses life in Kerala

Special Correspondent

Minor incidents of violence reported from different parts of the State

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An all-India strike called by pro-Left trade unions on Wednesday in protest against the ‘anti-people’ economic policies of the United Progressive Alliance government and press for measures to check price rise turned out to be a bandh across Kerala.

The strike brought life to a standstill with all forms of transport, except a few private cars and two-wheelers, staying off the road for a major part of the day and shops and markets remaining closed. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) did not operate its services. Private buses, taxi cars and autorickshaws did not ply. With no transport facilities available, attendance in Central and State government offices and commercial establishments was less than what it usually is on a hartal day.

Train services hit

Twenty-six train services were hit by the 24-hour strike. Trains remained stranded at different places on account of train blockade at 47 centres by workers beginning 3 a.m. on Wednesday. The picketing continued well into the forenoon. The train services could be resumed only after the police removed the agitators. Passengers who had boarded the train early in the morning or had reached railway stations hoping that train services would not be disrupted were in for a hard time.

Educational institutions could not function and all examinations were postponed. The strike affected delivery of postal articles and loading and unloading work at major commercial centres. It also brought work in the construction industry to a halt. In the plantation sector, the strike was total. Employees and officers in the insurance industry and BSNL also joined the strike.

The strike was not without its share of violence, some of it directed at mediapersons, bank officers and government staff who reported for duty. The attempted attacks on mediapersons were reported from Kalpetta in Wayanad and Kozhikode. There were reports of minor incidents of violence, including assaults on persons who had reported for work at various government offices and educational institutions, from different other parts of the State.