The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Hartal total in city

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Friday, Jun 06, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Hartal total in city

Staff Reporter

Day peaceful; police deployed in strength

Usually busy roads deserted
City police come to the aid of travellers

KOCHI: The hartal called by the LDF and the BJP in protest against the hike in petrol prices was complete in the city.

As majority of the people preferred to stay back at home enjoying an unexpected ‘holiday’, party activists hardly had to do anything to enforce the strike.

With no untoward incidents reported from anywhere in the city, the hartal was more or less peaceful. Police personnel were deployed in various points in the city to avert any possible trouble.

The CPI(M) claimed that the hartal was a success as people cooperated with its call for protest. Supporters of hartal took out a march from Ernakulam North to High Court junction.

City police came to the aid of the public, especially travellers, as they operated services using their vehicles from the KSRTC bus stand and south and north railway stations as directed by Manoj Abraham, City Police Commissioner.

Shops and establishments remained closed except for a few roadside kiosks. Almost all hotels and restaurants in the city remained closed putting travellers to much hardship.

At the district collectorate, out of the 150 employees only 13 turned up. Attendance in other offices at the collectorate was also poor.

City roads, which otherwise are traffic-clogged, remained rather deserted. Public transport system was completely absent except for the operation of a few autorickshaws.

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation did not operate a single service from the Ernakulam stand till the hartal was over. The staff presence was also thin. Private buses also stayed away from roads.

In the morning, two-wheelers dominated the roads, as motorists apprehensive of possible stone pelting were reluctant to take out their cars. However, as the day progressed and it became clear that the strike was rather peaceful the presence of four wheelers on roads increased.

Sixty two per cent of the staff at the Cochin Port Trust was present. “Work within the terminal was not affected. Loading and unloading from ships went smoothly. But traders were unable to move their consignment to and from the port as private trucks did not operate,” an official said.

At Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) only 60.6 per cent of the staff turned up.

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