The dawn-to-dusk hartal in the State on Wednesday brought normal life to a halt as public transport went off the roads and banks, business establishments and markets remained closed. The hartal went off peacefully in the city and its suburbs but a “Say No To Hartal” activist alleged that he was physically assaulted by a person accompanying an MLA from north Kerala.
The hartal was called by the Fisheries Coordination Committee against Dr. B. Meenakumari Committee report on deep sea fishing; by a combine of trade unions in the transport sector against the hike in third-party insurance premium for vehicles and by Left-affiliated farmers’ unions against fall in the price of farm produce like natural rubber.
Banks downed shutters and the usually busy Broadway and Marine Drive wore a deserted look. Private vehicles, including two-wheelers were on the roads, though in depleted numbers. The State Transport Corporation operated skeletal services. The Aluva depot operated three trips while the Paravoor depot operated eight trips. Autorickshaws and taxis did not operate. Attendance at Public Sector Undertakings like BPCL’s Kochi refinery, Cochin Shipyard and Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore was near normal. Movement of cargo to and from Kochi port and the International Container Transshipment Terminal was hit for the entire day. Work at Kochi metro sites came to a halt though work at the site of the integrated refinery expansion project at BPCL refinery was not affected.
The hartal was total in the fisheries sector as fish landing centres, jetties and harbours went quiet. Ice plants and processing units too were affected by the hartal. Work in the information technology sector, largely concentrated at Kakkanadu Infopark, was not affected as the police provided escort for company vehicles ferrying employees. Sources said that more people came to work at the Infopark in their own vehicles on Wednesday. They said that the situation was quite comfortable on Wednesday.
Protesting fishermen took out a rally to Dr. B. Meenakumari’s house at Thevara, but the police prevented the marchers from reaching the scientist’s house. The protesters then sat on a dharna near the house. Chairman of the Fisheries Coordination Committee C. K. Gopalan and Convener Charles George addressed the protesters.
