The Hindu : Front Page : Motor workers’ strike incident-free in State

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Motor workers’ strike incident-free in State

Kerala Bureau

— Photo: S. Mahinsha

Against price hike: Members of motor workers’ unions taking out a protest march in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The dawn-to-dusk motor strike called by the joint action council of motor workers in protest against fuel price increase passed off without any incident in the State. The strike evoked a good response in the Malabar region.

Kottayam district was exempted from the strike on account of the festival at Ettumanoor temple and Pathanamthitta district because of the Christian convention at Maramon.

In most other districts, private buses and lorries kept off the roads.

Taxis and autorickshaws did not operate in most cities and towns, although Thiruvananthapuram city was an exception with quite a few taxis and autorickshaws freely venturing out. Right from morning quite a few private vehicles were on the roads in Thiruvananthapuram and by afternoon, the vehicular traffic in the city was almost as normal as on any Sunday. This was, however, not the case with districts such as Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Palakkad, Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Alappuzha. Only two-wheelers and very few private cars were seen on the roads in these districts, besides the buses of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation.

U. Pokker, leader of the joint council of motor workers’ unions, in Kozhikode, asked the State government to reduce the sales tax on diesel and petrol to enable private carriers to withstand the impact of the fuel price increase imposed by the Centre. He noted that the previous United Democratic Front government had adopted such a stand when the fuel prices were increased in 2005.

K.M. Kuttykrishnan, general secretary of Kerala State Private Motor Thozhilali (Workers’) Federation, affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress, said the strike was total, with all sections of private motor workers participating in it.

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