Kerala - Kochi   

Hartal brings life in Kochi to a standstill

Photo: Vipin Chandran

EMPTY ROAD: Two cyclists have the road all to themselves on hartal day in the city on Friday.

KOCHI: The 12-hour hartal on Friday against spiralling prices called by Bharatiya Janata Party and supported by affiliates of the National Democratic Alliance brought life to a standstill in Kochi where scenes of regular traffic congestions were replaced by near-deserted roads and cyclists celebrating it.

Regular commuters found an ally in the city police as police vehicles were used to ferry them from point to point as all public transport vehicles stayed off the roads. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation did not operate any service from Ernakulam depot while the Aluva depot saw a service each to Angamali, Perumbavoor and Paravoor.

The grain and spices market remained shut. So did banks and financial institutions, including the clearing house in the city. Broadway, the hub of commercial activities in the city, remained quiet through the hartal hours.

Attendance at the District Collectorate in Kakkanad was reduced to about 50 per cent as no bus services were available.

No untoward incidents were reported during the hartal period though there were reports of groups of people, allegedly BJP activists, asking business establishments that opened in the morning to down shutters.

Working of major public sector units such as Cochin Shipyard Limited, Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore and BPCL-Kochi Refineries was normal. Cochin Shipyard had an attendance level of 67 per cent, FACT 60 per cent and Kochi Refineries 92 per cent.

Boat services to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry were suspended and some machuas were pressed into service for ferrying people.

Fishing was perhaps the hardest hit business on hartal day as no transport was available. The fish landing centre on Vypeen was crowded with local people who sought out cheap buys as regular vendors were not available. Huge quantities of the day’s landings went under heaps of ice as fishermen waited to see the hartal hours through.

Close to noon, BJP activists led A. N. Radhakrishana, State secretary of the party, took out a rally from Town Hall to Ernakulam Boat Jetty demanding immediate action by the government for arresting prices.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Suggestions for reducing maternal mortality
Vadhyayar Mahasabha seeks quota
‘Salvation’ exhibition to dispel myths on Islam
Paswan to lay stone for FACT-RCF venture
Container depot gets minor port status
AFMC exam centres
Police turn saviours
Pipeline repair progressing
Hartal brings life in Kochi to a standstill
Reception to Amritanandamayi

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu