PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN

WITNESS TO RARITY: The ever-busy Anna Salai in Chennai wears a deserted look on Saturday due to the Tamil Nadu Government-sponsored bandh.

CHENNAI: The bandh in Tamil Nadu called by various political parties, to protest the Supreme Court stay on reservation for Other Backward Classes in Central institutions of higher education, passed off peacefully on Saturday.

The State Government having declared a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, the bandh was near-total throughout the State. Shops, offices and commercial establishments remained closed.

Trains and buses did not run all day, but there was only minimal disruption in flight schedules in the five airports in the State.

Vehicles on the roads were few and far between. However, teashops and roadside eateries remained open in several places, especially in non-urban areas.

All essential services, including hospitals, telecommunications, and power supply were exempted from the strike.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi described it as a grand success. In a statement, he said the whole State came to a standstill, demonstrating people's support for the cause of social justice.

Southern Railway suspended train operations across the State between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Trains were halted at the nearest major station around daybreak.

Arrangements made

The morning trains arrived on time at the Chennai Central and Egmore stations. The railway administration and the local police had made transport arrangements for passengers to reach their destinations, but these were not quite adequate. Some passengers walked home.

Food stalls at the stations were kept open for the sake of stranded passengers; many of them had to stay for many hours at the stations.

Most of the domestic and international flights operated by private airlines arrived at and departed from the Chennai airport on schedule.

However, passengers were fewer than normal with many putting off their travel plans.

Private vehicles plied freely in all towns. But some pro-reservation activists targeted autorickshaws and commercial vehicles. Violence was limited to deflating tyres.

The bandh was by and large peaceful, Director-General of Police D. Mukherjee said. Other officials also confirmed that no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.

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