Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Motor strike tomorrow

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The March 2 dawn-to-dusk strike by motor transport workers and taxi and autorickshaw drivers is likely to hit public transport services in the State.

The strike call, given by KSRT Employees’ Association, private bus workers’ unions and tax and autorickshaw unions, has received strong support from the CPI(M) and other Left parties, the BJP, INTUC and various other organisations.

Among those who have called for full support for the strike is CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who said in a statement here on Sunday that no budget of the last decade had been so potent in its intent to pile up misery on the people. The budget proposal to hike the excise duty on petrol and diesel would aggravate the already serious price spiral. The budget proposal would push up the prices of food grains and vegetables, hitting both the ordinary people and the middle class, he said.

Mr. Vijayan regretted the absence of any reference in the budget to Kerala’s long-pending demands and pointed out that the budget did not contain any project for the State. Although the State was faced with a serious situation following the Indo-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA), there was no mention about any package to save the agricultural and fisheries sector that were likely to be hit by the agreement.

The budget being a declaration of war against the people and given the fact that it had not found acceptance even with many of the UPA partners, widespread protest should be organised against it, the CPI(M) leader said.

Supporting the strike call, the CITU State secretariat said that there was no justification for the decision to hike the excise duty on petroleum products.

Karshaka Thozhilali Union State secretary M.V. Govindan said that the budget needed to be opposed.

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