Kerala - Kochi   

Strike affects normal life in city

KOCHI: The nationwide strike affected normal life in Kochi on Wednesday. The roads looked deserted and rail traffic was disrupted. Most people remained indoors and the few who had to venture out on personal or official business had to depend on their cars or two-wheelers.

With the private buses and autorickshaws keeping off the roads, it was tough time for those who went on errands. The passengers who got down at railway stations got a helping hand from the police who operated the police van as a transport vehicle connecting the Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations to various points in the city.

The banking sector was paralysed with the major employees’ unions taking part in the strike. All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) representatives said the strike was total in the city. The employees took out a rally through MG Road. The bank employees on strike ‘persuaded’ the officials of new generation banks to stop business transactions, according to a spokesperson of the AIBEA.

The flight operations at the Nedumbasserry airport were unaffected, according to an airport official. Taxi services too were available at the airport, he said.

The loading and unloading operations at the Kochi port were not affected, an official of the port said. About 60 per cent attendance was registered.

The movement of containers from the port was hit in the absence of transport vehicles.

FACT recorded more than 70 per cent attendance and normal operations went unhindered, a spokesman said. The operations at the Kochi BPCL refinery too were not affected, but the onward transport of wagons was hit. The attendance of employees was normal, but contract workers did not turn up, an official said.

A few push cart vendors and ‘bhel puri’ mobile outlets did brisk business as shops and hotels remained closed. While the giant retailers failed to open their shops, some of the small neighbourhood shops were kept open, bringing the much needed relief to the customers.

Those in search of medicines had nowhere to turn as the medical shops too were closed.

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